Horatii's Theory on Paradise
by RuthlessGravity
Summary: (Will be updating when possible) Six year's after the war, the na'vi are struggling to maintain a peaceful living in the shadows of the forest. Meanwhile, the RDA may have stumbled across clues to the na'vi mythological 'Star Tree'. M for sexual content and violence
1. Background

_A/N \- Possibly a one-shot deal. Not sure as I really do not have the time to write. Warning for some sexual content towards the end. Avatar n'stuff belongs to other folks._

* * *

 _Asymmetrical_

 **Descension**

* * *

"Don't be so coy about it. Y'know they've given us permission to walk around and film everything at our own pleasure." Yeah, that was the idea and the idea was not to pretend they were stalking around the place and filming military secrets. Yet, Lorne couldn't shake that feeling. This was after all the first Human interstellar colony in mankind's history and here they were, in the belly of the beast of it.

At least for him that was what it felt like when you looked around. One look around and the metallic gray walls, colored pipes snaking along the ceilings and people filling in the corridors as they went about their business obviously sent that message well. Not to mention the cautionary labels that graffitied numerous pipes, warning of the chemicals that were channeled through them. Strangely, no one seemed to care. They didn't have a look of amazement or starry eyed at the prospect that they were on an alien world, far from home and their families. Most of them, as it turned out as they went about filming, were quite complacent with it all. There was no ill-will or even disagreement of why they were here. For the two-team from National Geographic, these were historic days to be walking around in Hell's Gate.

"I know, but it feels... weird. I can't explain it." Lorne surreptitiously explained under his breath to his co-worker, Isabel who was more than enjoying the idea of walking through the inner-guts of Hell's Gate. It was also known under a more official and less brutal name as Extra-Solar Colony Zero One. It didn't have a nice ring to it, which was probably why it was christened 'Hell's Gate' for obvious reasons.

Moving through, they were coming upon the Operations Center, the brain and the hub of all activity that went about through Pandora. Before they had arrived, entering the facility required special permission and a key card. Now, the door was about as open as a saloon. It was not strange for Isabel or even Lorne, as they were the newcomers, having arrived just a month ago aboard the ISV Altair Borealis that was at the moment orbiting above their heads. When they arrived, they were expecting to be greeted by a hell storm of arrows flung through the sky by the alien inhabitants. Instead, they were only greeted by a thirty minute instruction and repeat instruction of how to put your mask on and seal it. Nothing quite got your blood pumping about those masks. Though of course all of that fell away when those massive cargo doors of the Valkyrie exposed the thick atmosphere of the world and the brilliant sunlight that drenched you. Your life was nearly zapped of all energy but your mind was flooding with curiosity. All around you was the impossible. They called it 'Asymmetrical Descension'. A euphoric state of mind upon arriving on Pandora. You were simply overwhelmed by the environment, exposed to an air that pushed against you and gravity that was lighter than the one you were familiar with. It was, by its definition a descent into the asymmetrical formula. It was a green and vibrant world, filled with secrets that Lorne himself wanted to uncover just as much as Isabel did when she combed through her hair, hoping to untangle some of the tangles. As bad as a metaphor that it was, Lorne was equally as curious as he peered through the hatch door to the Ops Center. Men and women in RDA uniforms walked in and out, their minds pacing faster than their fingers striking the keys on their computers.

Suddenly, an air of silence overcame the hamster typist, as it was called of the Ops workers when they were notified that the first Samson liftoff was about to take place on the airfield. Isabel motioned for Lorne to follow as the two made their way to the observational windows. Focusing the camera to the north of the Ops building, Lorne quietly zoomed in on the airfield as four Avatar drivers walked aboard a Samson and lifted off a minute later. It was going to be the first scientific sortie since the incident involving a blackmailing head manager four months ago that threatened the peace with the Na'vi. It was also six years ago this day when the war between the RDA and the Na'vi was over. A lot has changed since then but as the camera looked on, the mission was still the same.

While the RDA sought out the unobtanium since colonization, it was and still is about scientific understanding of Pandora and its inhabitants. Gazing on with fixated fascinations, the crowd around them cheered on the Samson as the vehicle hovered above the tarmac and gave a little wave with its rotors before banking and flying off into the forest. The valley that Hell's Gate was situated in gave a natural barrier from the Na'vi who were situated hundreds of miles away, but it was still accessed by the 'ambassadors' from the surrounding clans. That was, when they wanted to come. More often than not, they were fly-bys from those flying creatures. They would circle the colony, yelling out these wicked chants that almost sounded warlike before disappearing back into the endless sea of trees and mountains.

Since the war, it had been a rather hectic ride to maintain fragile peace between the RDA and the native species to this world; the Na'vi. Fractured lines riddled the peace agreement that was established six years ago, with pushback resulting in a change of administration on the RDA side. An Avatar Program psychologist by the name of Catherine Harrison was chosen to lead the colony in an effort to strengthen the relationships between the two peoples; yet to this day, it continues to erode.

It was nothing superficial from the surface however. Nothing traumatic or serious but it was a well known and documented case that Humans weren't too keen in trusting the Na'vi as was the Na'vi not too keen in trusting the aliens to their world. A man and former Human if one could go that far tried to keep the peace at bay. Jake was the one who was once wheeled-chaired bound wasn't completely welcomed by the Omaticaya after the war. The sudden change of order and the breakdown of the clan as a result of the war caused much strife internally. For some who looked in through the look glass could almost feel that the clan was about to break down as a result of the war.

It was known that at least six hundred and sixty three Na'vi died at the hands of the RDA forces that day, resulting one clan being forced to assimilate with another as they had lost most of their warriors to the war. The Omaticaya did not fare well despite having greater numbers than any other clan. When the clan leader, Tsu'tey had given his reins of power to Jake, many felt that that he was ready to take it but soon came to the realization that Jake himself did not want it. He never felt or even believed he found himself to be in such a position and as a result, weakened his relationship with the Omaticaya. Despite his own best efforts to bridge and repair his already tattered trust by flying the Great Leonopteryx to war, his own doubts in leading the clan nearly caused a collapse.

That was, until one day where he had finally came into his own by helping the Omaticaya seek out a new home that was in the Akat region. A densely populated region filled with massive mountain trees that were similar in scope to the Hometree that the Omaticaya had formerly inhabited.

After that, his growing exceptional leadership skills continued to sharpen, especially under difficult circumstances that brought the Omaticaya, including the Tipani to their knees. One such problem was that of a deadly pathological prion disease that affected the neural system of living organisms on Pandora. Jake had set out to get aid from the RDA, at which point, Hell's Gate accepted to aid the Na'vi before the clever operation manager by the name of Owen Mahina considered black mailing the Na'vi in exchange for mining rights. This led to a five day siege on Hell's Gate by both Tipani and Omaticaya forces. Eventually, Owen was take out of power by those within and the Na'vi were finally given aid through a vaccine that simply stopped the prion from spreading, but couldn't help those already affected.

With their numbers dwindling, the next years were spent in isolation from the RDA. Jake had only kept an earful listen from a distance thanks through his colleagues within the program. The clans of the forest maintained that they would watch Hell's Gate but were unsure if they could ever keep the RDA from actually breaking the treaty established after the war. At which point, Jake himself requested that a member from the Program take Owens' place in lead operation manager of Hell's Gate.

"It is a wonder we are even allowed to have those damn things fly now." Lorne whispered as he controlled the panning of the camera on the Samson. "Yeah. Crazy huh?" His co-worker obliged in a simple acknowledgement. For the two of them, having just got off the last known ISV sent to Pandora a month ago, this was a dream come true no matter what the situation was. Well... as long as it didn't involve spears pointing at them.

It was not as clear cut as the RDA had told them though. Six years ago, the RDA PR campaign established the idea that Hell's Gate was a well oiled machined, managed and operated like a beast working without a need for pause. They told them of the former operations manager, Parker Selfridge and great he was at his job. Providing for the Na'vi and providing for Earth. There were event posters plastered across Earth cities of this man looking proudly at nothing with the backdrop of Pandora situated behind him; with the words 'Pandora is Life'. But by the time they got here, they were expecting to greet him. Only to be told he and several others were booted off the world around the same time they left Earth.

A whole war broke out because Parker and his goons wanted that metal found beneath the Na'vi home. Of course, several members close to Parker's administration believed the man himself did not wholeheartedly agree with this but rather it was the pushing of the stockholders back on Earth who demanded their immense supply of Unobtanium.

Whatever the case was, the people here now wanted them to two to document everything because it would possibly be the only thing that would keep those who refused to play along from going to prison. Even worse, being labeled traitors to humanity.

Unobtanium was a strange thing that people had fought the Na'vi over with. Much of the headlines reported that the key mineral was used to build machinery that was vastly superior than something built from rare earth minerals. The truth was, Earth was becoming more dependent on a source of metal that was literally keeping the world from dying.

The Earth of a hundred years ago was struck with a century of warnings that the ocean conveyer would flux and possibly cause ecological harm. The Sahara desert also suddenly stopped supplying the Amazon rainforest with much needed phosphorous dust. With this, a massive over turn of the Earth with the combined technological dependency caused a worldwide ecological disaster no one believed could happen. What no one was saying was that unobtanium was the only thing keeping the Earth alive. When refined, it created a similar key ingredient that the phosphorous dust form the Sahara desert produced; only this time in a stronger form. Studies had shown that unobtanium or Element-00 or 'ghost element' reinvigorated the Amazon rainforest. The problem was, it also destroyed several species in the process.

Biospheres cropped up and began studies on how to use Element-00 in an effort to see how it could be used without killing living organisms. To this day, nothing has completely worked and the exhaustive efforts produced by Hell's Gate ceases. It was a conundrum that even Jake himself knew but for a better word, could not go with it against his good consciousness.

What was required to jumpstart Earth's biosphere would require massive amounts of the ghost element, refined and process to began seeding across the globe. This also mean much of the floating mountains had to be striped mined and so did the land. In the beginning, such a thing was okay with the Na'vi as long as the land was respected. Apparently the RDA could have cared less to the respects of the inhabitants. Now Humanity was on the break of losing if nothing could be figured out how to mine the element safely.

This was one of the reasons why the Samson was out on a scientific sortie with a group of five Avatar drivers. This was also why Isabel was now motioning with her hand and a smirk that was more than eager to get an interview with Catherine Harrison. Except, the brunette woman was waving them off.

Noticing the pair of young kids moving towards her, the Administrator raised a hand and waved them a no. "Not right now." Harrison stated with the rough raspy voice hinging in her throat. She was ill with a sore throat and her head was pounding like a pair of bongo drums. Today was not exactly perfect in seeking out to talk to them. She would have been more than happy to oblige but the tablet that was cradled inconsiderately in her hand requested her thoughts elsewhere.

Isabel read Catherine's expression and happily understood her feelings of not wishing to talk right now. Suggesting another area to explore, questionnaire she set about by pointing with her fingers to the exit, she figured it was best to proceed by seeking out interviewees in the mess hall, leaving Miss Harrison to her work. Which was a considerable amount of work. Walking into her transparent office, her desk was quite literally littered with papers and tablets flooding the wooden metal hybrid of a desk. She removed the shoes from her feet and flexed her toes in the open air, enjoying the sensation of the pressure being relieved from the sides. She then looked upwards towards her desk and felt the need to clean it. However, such a need was relinquished when her eyes caught the words 'URGENT' on the tablet screen.

Touching it, the message was open.

From: J. Santiago

To: Catherine Harrison

 _We located the island of the last location of the recon mission thirty years ago. The RDA REALLY did not want anyone listening in. Only way we found it? The code was bouncing off Pandoran atmosphere, the radiation from Polyphemus was scrambling it. We had to dial into a certain frequency before we could uncover the direct audio tone beeps from the ISV habitat modules that landed on the island. Looks like they didn't want anyone to hear it without knowing the correct frequency. I give props to Daniels, your assistant. Seemed the guy took schooling in radio or something. No one on base uses this kind of radio signals. Whatever this 'Star Tree' that the RDA was looking for, had found it because we also uncovered a audio message from the recon team that went missing that spoke of it. I'll send it to you later once we clear it up as best we can. I'll also make sure Dominic Temple doesn't get this message._

Thank you,

Jennifer Santiago

Blinking, the psychologist and administrator of Hell's Gate grew pale at the idea of them finally uncovering the truth behind Operation Lodestar. It wasn't a sickening thought that made her pale, instead it was that they were possibly coming close to unraveling clues behind the mythological tree that the Na'vi had worship in their only and one song. A mysterious object of great interest that the RDA had secretly sought the Star Tree through means that were criminal. Whatever the RDA wanted with this tree or whatever it was, they were not going to use it for peaceful means.

Typing up a reply to Jennifer, who was now the current Security Operations leader, Catherine wanted to hear that audio message as soon as they were done cleaning it up. It would also mean now that Catherine would have to establish a meeting with the reclusive Jake Sully in an effort to bring the Na'vi into Human affairs. An attempt that she hoped would show the Na'vi some effort of transparency. Of course, getting Jake's attention was something of an affair itself. He rarely came when called upon but never hesitated to when asked with the intention of sharing information with the Na'vi. For the first time since this morning, Catherine's headache was already fading away as her fingers hungrily typed away on the tablet.

A rolling bead of sweat trickled slowly, curbing with exhaustion over a rolling hill of a cheek as a singular ray of light gleamed inconsistently. The humidity in the air was thick, vaporizing every single action and thought that a person could have while the sweat finally made its way down to the chin. It dangled there, helplessly in the air before breaking from the skin and falling down to become nothing with the earth.

The voices and words danced in the air, carelessly grinding against the leonine ears of the Omaticayan leader as he sat still in the midst of a debate that raged in what felt like a near infinity of time. His eyes, once wide with pride and vigor were now dull and exhausted. A pair of females before him were sharing with him on the matters of mating with several males without the need of being mates for life with males who had not passed their rites. However, the mothers of those males did not want it to happen. Take into consideration that those males had not passed any form of rite of passage, so by it they were not seen by the Omaticaya as adults. Not that they needed to pass a rite of passage to mate, but in recent months there was an immense need for children within the clan. Several females had offered their bodies to the males who had not passed their rites but as per usual, the mothers disagreed. Though the males would've said otherwise.

Though the irony in all of it was that they were asking Jake to overrule the mothers' decision for their male children. The problem lied in the fact that Jake himself had failed to even impregnate Neytiri. It seemed that the Avatar body that he existed in simply refused to give anything for Neytiri. Not that the Avatars weren't sterile, as it was known years prior that the RDA wanted the Avatars to begin impregnating several of the Na'vi females in an effort to study what it was like for a pool of genetic manipulation to create a new life.

As they talked, all he could think of in a distant gaze of almost uncaring attitude was Neytiri's expression when they knew they could not have a child of their own. Followed by the relentless pursuit of one.

"M'ha Jhake!" She would scream into his ear as he plunged deeper into her womanhood, his mind yelling just as frantically to not fail her while systemically enjoying the pleasure that shot between them like two atoms colliding at the speed of light. "Gi-give me your seed!" Neytiri choked out her struggling of words as she felt the clash of her orgasm striking. Jake's face clenched in the last push of their mating as he felt his entire jaw lock in and teeth grinding in unison. Every fiber of his being became solid as stone while Neytiri notoriously dug into the blades of his shoulders, her nails desperately of her mate's flesh as they both cried out their names in a frantic need for air. The couple were so desperate for a child that they remained in one another as their release grew weaker in each passing wave. He never left the inside of his mate, even when they would fall asleep. A belief that he manufactured himself, believing if he remained within Neytiri, that their chances of a child would be greater as a result. Unfortunately for the both of them, each time that they would mate, weeks would pass without any bodily changes from the future Tsahik. Now for every time they would mate, Jake had the habit of sharing with his mate an apology.

He would always begin by stroking her hair slowly, a finger here or there would stay behind to tickled the flesh of her nape. His eyes locked onto the beauty of her features, counting every dot and tracing every stripe. She was more than beautiful, she was pure wonder for him to gaze upon. Finally, his lips began to formulate the words and he would seek out an apology with his mate. Except, she would never take it. Believing such apologies were never warranted for they had each other and each other was enough for her.

"Do not apologize to me, M'ha Jhake." She would say in her native tongue, her accent flourishing his name that always made the tip of his tail flicker in delight. "I will always love you, no matter if you give me a child or not." Her lips would seek out his forehead each time and kiss it. Reminding him that it was okay. "We should be thankful to Eywa that we are still alive and together. Not many are as blessed."

But he did not feel as blessed. Not for him.

Burrowing his head down to his fingers, he kneaded helplessly into his strained eyes before looking back up to the females that sat before him in his private quarters of their new Hometree.

"I cannot do it." He stated in an almost apologetic tone that shared a similarity when he would apologize to Neytiri. One that was only matched further by the burrowing of his eyebrows that sought their forgiveness. "I cannot force the mothers to give up their sons. Their fathers I know already agree with this but their mothers say otherwise. Until both parents agree, the males of the families cannot participate in this."

There was no love involved in trying to bring the numbers of the clan up. These females were only providing for the clan, just as equally as they were if it was hunting or weaving. To say no to them was having them to forgo an act that was beneficial to the entire clan.

As for the females that sat across Jake, they looked upon one another and frowned faintly. It was always that soft frown, never one filled with anger but just disappointment that etched into their faces. Their own families oddly enough agreed for them to become impregnated but they themselves had already pass their trials. It was just that some of the males did not and they were in a perfect age of virility. Other males however who still have not chosen a mate, simply refuse. That was a matter entirely out of his control and he was not about to step up to be some two-stepping dictator.

With some sighs, the females gave their thanks to the Olo'eyktan and parted ways. Leaving Jake to sit in his quarters to reflect what had just happened. When he was somewhat satisfied with the meek answers he gave them, he would rise to his feet, stretch and make his way pass the leather coverings that made up the entrance of his quarters.

Situated high above the ground, the new Hometree was still be worked on. It was barely hollow with years of work still ahead of them and the Na'vi instead lived on the fringes of the Hometree. Climbing rather than going up a fleet of stretched out branches and boughs. Stretching out his back, he looked around and figured it was best to seek out Neytiri. He had to discuss with her what her opinions were in the concern of overruling the mothers best wishes.

After all, the Omaticaya needed their numbers again. The RDA was not always going to just sit around and wait. In time, he feared there would be another war. Their isolation from the Humans only brought them a peace that was about as invisible as the scars that continued to deepen into the fractured minds of the Na'vi.


	2. Heaven and Earth

**Heaven and Earth**

* * *

Darkness.

It was a feeling of absolutes. Neither welcoming nor unwelcome. It could befriend you, entice you into a false sense of security but was as warm as a fireplace that crackled in the middle of a snowy night. It was absolute. A zero. Nothing could quite beat this feeling. That the unknown paralleled itself with the abyss of intrigue and curiosity. You too have felt it before. It invites you every night before bed and evaporates before the sun rises to greet you. Now, it only surrounds itself, ushering in young minds to stay focus and sharpen their knowledge. Young minds and young eyes who now sat eagerly around a table, waiting almost impatiently to see what the next image would show.

"Now that you have been patient or ... impatient about our lecture of stellar systems. Let us look at the one system that we hope to explore one day." A disembodied voice beckoned their inquiring gears of jogging thoughts to slow down. Their guardian who was well away from the center of attention directed their prying eyes to a series of images that flickered to life. It was as close to magic as the guardian could perform.

In silence, the images began to glitch. Almost phasing in and out of their reality and time. The guardian could see their faces construe with awe as the vivid colors of blues and purples vibrated together, creating a perfect spectrum of lines that finally materialized into a franchise of spheres. All of them came in different sizes and luminosity; none of them seem to bore one single child here. As the final sphere morphed into an obvious planet, hushed whispers of 'ooh' and 'wow' could be heard in the chamber. A smile could even be seen among a few of them if looked at under the right light that radiated from the holographic imagery.

"Could anyone tell me what this is?"

Hands raised and despite the darkness that covered the room, the eyes of their guardian looked over them with fascination. So many hands but who was right?

"You." The voice asked of one boy. He jumped to his feet, his face shrouded by the same darkness.

"Alpha Centauri!"

A mousy of laughter came from his guardian. Maybe they were right.

"Good." The images quickly zoomed in, passing the twin stars that provided light for the worlds there.

"Can anyone tell me—," before the guardian could finish, voices sprang from their lips, all of them pointing to the different cosmic bodies that inhabit the system.

"Polyphemus!" One shouted. "Oceanus!" Another happily answered. "Crius and Coeus!" Others finished and their guardian looked on from the shadows with a smirk.

"And what is the one world that we hope to explore one day?"

Suddenly there was silence. The word 'explore' ran through them like streams of unending confusion. It was the impossible that they were presented and their answers were that of reservation. Faint exchange of looks were shared among one another, surreptitious whispers also followed that questioned the very sanity of today's discussion.

No one had an answer. Their knowledge of the system was accurate, to the point, perhaps they were more eager to get to lunch than they were to sit and critically think of what their guardian meant.

"Anyone?"

Nothing.

From the shadows, the guardian appeared before them. A woman, brunette and young. She circled the table of which the device sat, displaying the system that had their attention. She looked to each of their faces; one by one. Watching as their puzzlement became confusion.

Finally, she stopped before one young man who was shy. His hand raised just barely above the desk from which he sat.

"Yes, Mendez?"

He licked his lips, hoping to the best of hopes his answer was not wrong. He just heard about it earlier this week. In fact, it wasn't big news. His dad was looking over the news that was displayed on their kitchen counter. Images of a world that was as colorful as the advertisements that showered the streets outside.

"The scientists don't have a name for it." He whispered, remembering the article in the fragmentation of looking over his dad's shoulder.

"Oh? How come?"

He looked down, not wanting to look her in the eye. "Because it was just discovered this week."

She smiled and nodded to him. "That's right. Good job Sammy." Turning her back and facing towards the holographic display, she waved her hand until it stopped at Polyphemus.

All the other kids looked to Sam, intrigue by what he had heard or seen. Some next to him were even asking him what it was.

Pointing with her finger, she wanted everyone to look at the bright blue dot that was overpowered and overshadowed by the gas giant.

"Do you all see this?" She asked of her class to which everyone seemingly agreed that they were seeing it.

"This is an exo-world. A moon. And it appears to be the same as our world." She paced herself around the table, explaining what this world was. For all the other students, they practically leaned in against their desk as the image began to grow bigger… and bigger.

"Actually Sam. They did give it a name. Just today."

Samuel Mendez looked closer at the world as the world looked backed at him. Colorful like he remembered. Green. Vibrant.

"Pandora."

His eyes were filled with a running imagination just as this 'Pandora' spun ever so slowly in the holographic display. It flickered quietly, hummed soothingly, it begged him to run his imagination a little longer. A world like Earth?

Stopping before Sam again, she looked to him with a hesitant yet hopeful smile to him.

"Who knows? Maybe one day we'll visit this world. And you, Sammy, can be the first one to step onto a whole new frontier."

His imagination was sprinting now. Running faster, gliding across the impossible and into this world. What secrets did it hold?

Maybe someone like him, if there was life there was looking right back at him?

The questions were endless but so was his determination.

"Pandora." He whispered the name methodically as though each syllable would give him a hint of the improbable.

One day. He believed. One day.

 _The frontier was there, waiting to be explored and waiting to be conquered..._

* * *

 **Six Months Before Contact [Sol Date: August 27, 2159]**

* * *

 _...but the frontier would soon fight back._

That frontier, Pandora, now sits quietly against a sea of stars. The brush strokes of the Milky Way could be seen far and wide; reaching nearly the end of the universe before fading away into the eternal void of space. Torpidly rotating near its parent gas giant, Polyphemus, Pandora was by no means alone. It had its sister moons orbiting in varying paces around the blue giant along with it. For anyone lucky enough to see Pandora from afar, they would be mistaken to think that Polyphemus could easily swallow the moon without an ounce of hesitation. They would be wrong as physics would dictate that it would not happen. Not anytime soon anyways as the moon itself begins to make its voyage once more across the horizon of Polyphemus, ushering the rays of sunlight that would birth above the surface of this virgin world.

Illuminated by the light of the twin stars, the clouds that billow and move with apathetic behavior finally shed the dawning hours as the light reaches beneath the clouds, showering the land of the much needed lifeline.

Echoes of creatures that belong to the forest could be heard from far and away; fooling even the most veteran super-predator to believing that their prey could be just around a tree corner. It was a reminder that life existed well beyond Earth itself. In all directions were mountains, high peaks and even low rolling hills that gradually introduce themselves into the chaotic seas. Much like Polyphemus, the mountains towered above the lower valleys; casting shadows that stretch and stretch as the sunlight overpowered the mountains by the gradual minutes that tick-tick away.

Pandora was very much how Earth appeared centuries ago. Untouched, unmolested by the machinations of man. It was a perfect world.

'Was' being the key word.

In the center of a valley that was surrounded by the titans of these magnificent mountains sat an unfamiliar site. A pentagonal shaped construction that was five miles in all directions laid quietly within the mist of fog. What could be seen from a distant were rows upon rows of flight vehicles that sat orderly. Guard posts with search lights beamed with caution and trucks, small or wide roamed around the base.

Morning was dawning for the people here. People who did not belong to this world.

"Wakey, wakey. Hands off the bacon." A rolled up bunches of paper foiled the dreams of a certain technician as he felt the startling wallop smacking against the back of his head.

"The hell?!"

"C'mon, son. No time for a nap. Dr. Harrison is about to walk in here and if she sees you sleeping on your shift. That's going to be bad news walking your way. And I, your humble savior, well… saved you."

Turning about face and sliding those papers beneath the pit of his arm, Matthews looked out across the array of computers that were both empty and pathetic. It was 6 in the morning and everyone should be here by now.

"Ah hell. She's not going to like this either way."

Just outside of Operations Center and two levels below was Dr. Harrisons' quarters. She got her quarters when Parker Selfridge was unequivocally vacated off of this little moon. Fortunately for everyone beneath her, she too was just barely getting up. Her eyes stung as the cool AC air blasted in her face.

Bemused and agitated at the same time, she rolled off her bed and clamored to find the strength needed to get on with today. A mental note checked off to remind the techs to check the AC pressure. That cold air was practically making her throat dry.

A hot shower nearly made her fall asleep but when she got something in her stomach, she felt better. Then a reminder blinking on her desk immediately made her fell into a tail spin. That was because today she was going to hold a meeting with the Na'vi.

"Damn." Sighing, she toyed with her hair until she found an easy and lazy way to put it into a ponytail.

"Another one already."

Flexing her toes on the carpet flooring, she pinched her arm and gave a jolted slap across her face. That was not because she felt sleepy.

It was because she felt like it was still some sort of dream.

She came to Pandora as a psychologist for the Avatar Program. A much needed psychologist since the RDA wasn't sure how to handle the drivers who were growing a little too attached to their avatars. She didn't think she was needed. Not at first though. She was with the program for several years back on Earth, gauging and measuring and testing each candidate before they could even be accepted to be drivers. And even then, she would rigorously test them again during their training.

Never once did she come across a driver who didn't have all their marbles there.

Each driver kept to the rules as instructed by the RDA and by a larger extension the UN. No driver was ever allowed to fraternize with the Na'vi. All of them knew it. It was no secret that some grew attach to the Na'vi but none of them ever passed the line that she specifically drew in the sand. Then again, she rarely heard from her driver colleagues who actually left for Pandora.

A couple of months later, she got the call that she was needed on Pandora. She packed her bags, threw in a couple of photos of her life here on Earth and she left for Pandora the next week. All she remembered was staring at a ceiling within her 'coffin' before finding herself staring at the ceiling a few hours later again.

Only this time a raging headache was burrowing inside her temples.

Fast forward and she realized that none of the drivers were actually meeting any of the Na'vi. Dr. Augustine had describe it but not into great detail as to what happen specifically. Harrison believed it had to do with the administration here at Hell's Gate with their mining ventures extending well beyond what she originally believed they were.

She was useless here.

That was until she came across one individual she never saw. She gawked at the wheels that rolled him forward but easily found herself looking to the floor when her eyes were caught in his unapologetic gaze.

He called himself Jake Sully.

Plain name, she thought at first and promptly shook his hand.

Fast forward again and that very man had appointed her as the administrator of Hell's Gate.

It took a few steps of course for him to be that 'very man'. He crossed the line that no one dared and even then, no one dared to question it as much as she did. Which probably explained why she offered him up the gig while holding a metaphorical knife to Parker's throat.

Sighing even more deeply, she slipped into her comfortable shoes (it was going to be a long day standing around) and slid the tablet with her reports underneath her arm.

Staring numbingly at the door, Catherine was unsure about herself. She was no corporate administrator. She had no experience. Yet, she was about to go pass her door and have to deal with an entirely new infrastructure of politics and intrigue.

"You can do this… you can do this." Taking in a sharp intake of air, she straightened her shirt with a gentle but firm tug and proceeded with one foot forward. Out the door.

Elsewhere on base, a two-chord beat pulsated to the tune of electronic anger. Even at this hour, it seems that the drivers had lost their minds.

…Well, maybe not all except for one who liked to stir his fellow colleagues out of their beds.

The beat continued on, strumming in rhythm to the guitar strings that played out like a samurai duel. Drums soon followed, pounding harshly while a hollow howl that was reminiscent of a woman began oozing through the speakers.

"Holy hell, Garland. Seriously?" Jansen vexingly commented on Garland's taste of music as he harassed his bunk mate by punching underneath the mattress.

"C'mon man. I want to get a little more sleep."

Of course, Garland wasn't even in bed as he stirred from behind closeted doors.

"Hey man, don't go touching my player!" Garland warned with a coiled smirk etching underneath squinted eyes.

"Then turn this crap off!" Throwing herself off the bed, Jansen stood on her toes as she tried to reach for the player that was hidden just outside of her reach.

Returning from the breach of the closet, Garland snuck up beside Jansen and easily reached to snatch the player that was snuggled between the bed and the wall.

"Listen." She reeled back to see her friend standing beside her, embroiled in the newfound scandal of his player.

"Don't pretend you're crap doesn't stink, Theo. Just because you're meeting Jake doesn't mean you're suddenly the ambassador to the Omaticaya."

Bobbing his head to the music, he thumbed it to Peter Gabriel. Maybe a few more familiar tunes would drown out her whining.

Annoyed by this very sight, Jansen pulled back her arm and shot a punch right into his arm.

"Ow! What the hell!" It wasn't hard enough to leave a bruise though but she figured he whined just as much from a silly punch.

Shifting her hips and beaming the look of annoyance, Theo got the message.

Thumbing the mute button, he suddenly grew serious; as though the maturity level in his blood returned to normal. He traced his gaze up to her own, one of which he could classify as – dangerous – but willing to cooperate.

"You're right, Jan. Maybe my ego has gotten the best of me. Not like I deserved it after all."

Silence buffered between his pause and her looks that whittled from annoyed to understanding.

But as quietly as the dust settled, Theo raised his hand over to the glasses on his head and slowly as well as deliberately lowered them — just before pressing the play button on 'The Tower That Ate People'.

"But it does mean I get to play ambassador today." Cranking up a devious smile, Theo about-face on his heel and left Jansen in his wake, shifting his hips exaggeratingly as though he won some big battle.

"Bastard." She fumed and looked away, preparing for the rest of the meeting that they were all called for today.

The morning briefing had gone well. Everyone showed up a little late but no one was to blame. She had a long night earlier and it benefited that she played it cool amongst her peers. Just because she was the administrator didn't mean she got to play mayor as well.

Or did it?

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Dr. Harrison made her way to the link room. She was not alone of course. Matthews had followed her, tapping eagerly and re-arranging items found on her tablet.

Reaching into the 'inner sanctum' as the drivers called it, she stood by as she watched with interest at the ant colony that was made this morning. Technicians and scientists a like moved about very much like ants; not even knowing the presences of their administrator in the room as they prepared for the psionic link beds for the drivers.

"Morning, Doctor." Max greeted with an extra cup of coffee that he offered to her.

That was the one good thing she had seen all morning that no one sadly didn't offer.

"Thanks Max." She took the cup into her hand and brought it curiously to her nose, taking in the aroma of mint and spice that swirled in the delight of the drink.

"So, are they prepared?"

An expressive lip bite and shrug of the shoulders gave her the answer.

"They're excited. It's been months since any of them actually seen the Omaticaya."

"Yeah. They've been busy."

Max nodded. "So I've heard. Without a Hometree to claim as a home, the Omaticaya have been adapting to using the forest as their home."

Dr. Harrison wasn't too keen on Na'vi culture but happily nodded to the statement as she slowly tasted the coffee.

Wow, was that cinnamon too? Damn, must be a good day ahead.

"Where's Theo? I've been meaning to talk to him."

Max raised both eyebrows as he looked around the link room. The only other drivers around was Yared who was just getting out of his link bed. He had been up all night trying to farm the garden before the plasma storms roll in this week. Jansen was just walking in but there was no sign of Theo.

"Not sure." He excused, not really wishing to disclose that he had just came in a few minutes prior to her own arrival.

Narrowing her annoyance to a few shakes of the head, where in the hell was the one man she could count on?

She too scanned the room with the cup of coffee in her hand. Finally, the man himself emerged from the ambient room.

The hell was he doing there?

"Oh, there he is." Max said before Catherine sidestepped in front of Max.

"Theo." She uttered, hoping to catch his attention.

It worked and the man himself poured his attention over to Catherine.

"Oh, hey doc!" He gave a little jog over to where they were before leaning in to smell the coffee that she held.

"Wow, is that?"

"Cinnamon."

A faux wide surprise covered his expression as he held both hands to his hips.

"I guess I should salute you or something."

"I'm not military, Theo."

There was a roll of his eyes, not caring for details obviously.

"Yes, your majesty."

She didn't like his sarcastic gratitude. Even if it was a joke, she only wanted proper respect from her former colleagues.

"Don't act like this in front of our guests. Okay?" She grew a little serious, her hand gripping the cup slightly tighter than usual.

She was right. She appointed him to be their translator and cultural expert on all things Na'vi. She could have easily picked Norm for the gig, but he didn't want to be stalled up trying to play the role of translator when he could easily hang with his friends.

Selfish but it moved Theo to the spotlight role. One that he needed to take more seriously.

In other words, he was there to ensure that the messages expressed between both parties wouldn't get miscommunicated.

Even with Jake there, they still needed someone whom Catherine could trust in getting the message right.

Nodding in agreement, he got the idea.

"Yes ma'am."

That's more like it, she thought.

"You, Jansen and Norm will be leading the delegation alongside me. Don't speak unless I tell you. Same goes for your team. Norm can speak to Jake first. I get that they're besties or whatever. Not my problem as long as you don't allow them to make problems. Got it?"

"You got it."

"Good." She took another sip of her coffee.

"One more thing." She said, stopping him from doing anything further until she could get her thoughts out to him.

"Yeah?"

She took a step forward and leaned in, almost mimicking the little act he pulled on her with her coffee. Only this time she meant it as a way to establish power between them.

"This meeting is important. Don't screw this up like you did with the Tipani." She wanted to make sure he was going out to that meeting on the right foot. Which meant digging up the past to remind him that there was no room to screw around.

Not that whatever he did with the Tipani was intentional. It was the act of miscommunication.

Looking back into her gaze, he nodded in agreement but felt the sting of her words stuck to his mind like coiled thorns.

Grinding his teeth, he put both hands into his pockets before walking over to his link bed a warned but defeated man, leaving Catherine to watch carefully as she sipped her coffee one last time.

"Good." She mumbled before giving Max the cup back. "Let's get this show on the road."


	3. Movements

**Movements**

* * *

A yawning chasm of exhaustion tore through the lips of a very bored or possibly a very tired clan leader of the Omaticaya. He tried to snuff out the rude act of yawning but an ounce of laziness had sneaked into his hand, paralyzing it from coming up to his mouth.

The air raid sirens were going off in the background, notifying all personnel at Hell's Gate of the arrival of the Omaticaya. It wasn't meant as a warning so much as it was for them to be on their good behavior. For the Omaticaya leader, he didn't care if they were on their good behavior or not. There was a treaty between both parties so it was the treaty they had to respect more.

However, for Jake Sully, this morning was different.

They have had their bi-weekly meetings once every Monday to discuss what current happenings were occurring from both sides. Yet for today it would be a little different, a little interesting and maybe a little fun if he gets his way.

Jake was not alone on this venture to Hell's Gate. He had with him several members of the Omaticaya; including but not limited to several warriors who were trained personally by him. They knew how to handle a knife more than he could have taught him but he figured he could throw in a few first recon tactics that he picked up.

"If your enemy lunges, grab their wrist and twist it. Then bring the knife down and over the tendons of the elbow joint. It will force them to drop their weapon. Now, do it."

They did. Practicing on one another with wooden blades that simulated the sharp edges of their onyx blades. They repeated and repeated, day in and day out. They quickly mastered hand to hand combat more than he did when he went through it in boot camp.

They only thing they were not trained in as of yet was the use of firearms.

Maybe that will happen one day.

Maybe.

The others among his entourage were pacifists. Not that one could even call a na'vi pacifist, but they simply refused to bring weapons. It showed a mutual understanding that they were not all armed with distrust for the RDA.

On the other side of the invisible line and buffer were the Humans who stood before them. They all looked a little busy, whispering to one another and sharing notes. Their masks partially hid their lips but for the most part, Jake could almost see them clear as day through their masks.

He knew how it felt to wear one. To have those damn things press and hug on your face like a leech. It was for the most part, not great to wear them. They had severe limitations, such as the hose kinking at times when you contorted your body a certain way.

But they were not having any problems this morning as Dr. Harrison, the white dressed and black pantsuit administrator approached them.

She looked to Jake and nodded to him. There was a moment where Jake could catch the hesitation in her eyes but she propped her arm up to offer him the tablet.

"Here it is." She said.

Bending over slightly, he took the tablet into his own larger hand before thanking her.

Scanning over the words and diagrams, he liked what he was seeing.

"Production is good. I like it."

After the war, Jake had allowed the RDA to continue mining with some immense restrictions.

They could only mine small fractions of unobtanium, just enough where it was not excessive but just enough where he knew they didn't cheated the people on Earth from it.

There were other limitations, such as the na'vi scouts watching over the mining process and how much they could mine within week as well as what land they could legitimately mine.

This process worked before when the RDA arrived to Pandora. They encountered the Tipani and after their language was understood, the exchanged ideas and thoughts about mining for a rock. The Tipani of course still laughs about the very idea of hunting rock. Yet, the Tipani were gracious to let them. Everyone shared, so they were foolish enough to believe in the men in suits that they would only mine in their part of the world.

"How long before the Nevada will arrive?" Jake asked politely, his eyes now looking pass the tablet and down to Harrison.

The ISV Spirit of Nevada would be coming within a few short months, a resupply ship in the same vain as the Venture Star. Only, she was a newer model that they had launched. She was capable of cutting the time between Earth and Pandora by .5 light years. Which meant that they would actually arrive to Pandora precisely at 6 years instead of 6.5.

"This December." She answered, her hand instinctively pushing back a few strands of hair that were caught in her line of sight.

"What can we expect?"

She looked away from his gaze and pondered briefly about it.

"As we've stated, just supplies, personnel, and machinery equipment."

"Weapons, SecOps?" He interjected.

She nodded. "Of course."

Rubbing the edge of the tablet with his thumb, Jake could sense that if they don't persuade these new people, a new sort of problem could thorn the na'vi in the side. However, there was another problem they had to tend with.

"How long before Earth gets word of our little insurrection?"

That, she did not have a complete answer to. It wasn't so much of the time that he was looking for as it was what Earth was going to do in retaliation of Jake's overthrow of the only interstellar colony that Humanity have established.

"They probably already did." She stated with an uncertain passive expression that she started to wear.

As the talks went on, Theo in his avatar form stood by. He awaited for further instructions to be given by either Jake or Harrison.

Norm already had talked to his friend and lingered around the Omaticaya, talking to them as though he too had old friends among them.

"Well, now that we got the serious stuff out of the way. Let's talk about our little arrangement."

She nodded and looked over her shoulder to her towering aide.

"Theo, c'mere." She waved for him to come.

Picking up a breezing pace, the driver jogged over next to Catherine until he was close enough to even see Jake face to face.

She didn't tell him but he was on the shortlist for a sort of foreign exchange.

"Theo here is the best driver we have. He knows all things na'vi and is fairly fluent in the language."

Hearing all this, Theo was secretly wondering where she was going with this. Jake already knew this, didn't he?

"Hell, he is a xenologist after all. He studied your People before you even arrived." She paused briefly and thought about her words before fixing her slight rude mistake.

"In a good way I mean. Not meaning you don't know them anymore than he does."

Jake chuckled to her nervousness and pleaded with a hand that he was okay with it.

"No, I get it."

While she talked about his resume, the leader of the Omaticaya blinked over a curious eye to Theo who stood with a sort of slouched posture.

If he had walked into the Omaticaya right now, they would be snickering at his posture. He must have spent way too long inside the wire to care for his appearance.

The clothing was fine from what Jake could tell. No stains, no rips, just right. The hair was braided more in a Human fashion, which any na'vi was very aware of.

The only thing that Jake figured he needed work on was that posture.

"So…" Jake finally said after Harrison was finished. He quietly approached Theo and measured him with how tall he was.

They were both about the same height, only difference was the physical appearance.

"What do you say in joining with us for a month?"

Theo squinted and looked down to Catherine, looking for some reasonable answer.

"Wh-what?"

Jake smiled, enjoying his fellow colleague's bewilderment. "That's right. I talked to Catherine and we need a fresh set of eyes and ears to be amongst the Omaticaya. For a month that is. Norm already did his thing a few months back. In secret."

The mentioning of Norm was loud enough that the very man looked back and waved sheepishly.

"Well." Jake bobbed his head at the notion that it was a secret at all.

"It would've been a nice secret if he wasn't vying for a position as the lead hunter. That got some of the guys a little… testy with him."

Catherine looked up to the towering aliens and figured it was best for her to explain a little bit of the exchange herself.

"The Omaticaya need this, Theo. They need to know that we're not all a bunch of evil villains twisting our mustaches. Likewise, Jake will have one of his own live with us for a month."

Burrowing his eyebrows, Theo glanced back down to Catherine and wondered why she picked him and why she kept it a secret from him.

"Why?" He asked of her. She knew of his past with the Tipani. How much he screwed that gig up.

"Just because the Tipani thought you were backstabbing them doesn't mean you really did. I know and I'm sure they will forgive you in time for it. This opportunity will heal some of those wounds."

Jake too knew what had happened with Theo. He heard about it down the grapevine one evening. A driver who requested to spend time among the Tipani backfired when they as they claimed, 'was preparing to harm the hierarchy'. This of course was after the war. The Tipani already had lost a great number but they gave their trust to Theo.

He nearly betrayed that trust from miscommunication. The Tipani had a certain dialect and when he spoke, he meant to say that he wanted to talk in private with Amanti. What they heard instead was that he wanted to harm Amanti in private.

Raising his gaze back to Jake, he thought about it.

"Are you sure?"

Jake nodded. "Otherwise you would still try to learn the na'vi through a set of binos."

Theo couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh.

"Great. So who will you be sending to us, Jake?" Catherine asked, her hands nestling on her hips with an inquiring expression etched into her face.

"Ta'zi."

The instant the name was spoken from his leader, the man slipped through the small crowd of his fellow clans mate and stood perfectly tall next to Jake. His bow was nestled across his chest, the bowstring itself dug slightly into the skin as the arrows themselves were wrapped with the bow's frame.

"Kaltxi, Ta'zi." Catherine greeted while Theo formerly introduced himself more in the way of the Omaticaya.

Fingers lightly touched the brow while the greeter looked graciously to their friend or stranger.

However, Ta'zi remained stoic and only nodded with in the slightest of movements.

"Ta'zi here hates you both." Jake crassly put it with a smirk worming its way across his face.

"In fact, if I wasn't here right now. He probably would be aiming an arrow at your face."

Well this was a little odd. They were getting an Omaticaya who hates them? Didn't he see that Jake was once them?

Theo was about to ask Jake why when the Olo'eyktan beat him to it.

"Long story short. He fought the RDA during the battle and saw his friends get killed by them. His mother was also killed when Quaritch attacked the home tree."

Catherine's face eroded with sadness while Theo himself tried to appear sympathetic.

It wasn't working.

"I've been trying to get him to understand that we were not all like that. The only human he trusts so far is me – and that's only because he doesn't see me as one. I feel this is our best bet into making him change his mind."

Leaning into Ta'zi's ear, Jake whispered a few sentences in their native tongue before seeing the warrior lowering his head ever so slightly. Whatever it was that he told Ta'zi, it wasn't pleasant for him to hear.

Looking back to Catherine and Theo, Jake smiled. "Don't worry, he won't bite." A shrug of the shoulders followed with the sentence. "That is unless you give him a reason to. But all seriousness, he'll be all right."

Slapping and rubbing his hands together, Jake figured they can finally move on with the last thing on the list.

And it was a very private one.

"Theo, if you don't mind I would like to talk to Cath alone." Jake also made a similar note to Ta'zi which allowed Jake and Catherine to be alone for once.

Kneeling down, Jake wanted to be at eye level as his expression grew softer.

"What's the verdict?" Jake asked with Catherine knowing exactly what he was asking for.

Taking in a deep breath, Catherine adjusted her mask and gazed across to the Olo'eyktan as she formulated her thoughts in her head.

"Max told me that it is possible."

Immediately, Jake flashed smiled and nearly pumped his fist in the air before Catherine delivered the other part of the news.

Clenching her teeth, she sucked in the air more sharply. "The problem is, we do not know the potential effects it will have on your offspring. No one has tried to get a na'vi pregnant, Jake. No one except you."

At the very same time, Jake was reminded why no one tried.

"Just because you have a pair downstairs like you do in your Human body. Does not mean it gives you an all exclusive pass to try it on the natives here!" Augustine urgently reminded her people.

"We are not here to contaminate their bloodlines. We are here to know them better and I do not even mean to know them in bed either. So if any of you want to try to get your pecker near a na'vi. I'll personally see to it that you get a first class ticket back to Earth."

Augustine also talked to the female drivers, letting them know to not have sex with any male na'vi.

Catherine tilted her head to get a better look at Jake who was staring at the concrete tarmac. His thoughts were going a hundred miles per hour but he seemed as still as the floor beneath him.

"If you somehow get her pregnant. Be prepared for anything."

As the two talked in private, Theo was left standing around with a crooked brow that tried desperately to block out the ray of light beaming on his face. Meanwhile, Ta'zi stood just a few feet away with his hands busying themselves by resting over the bowstring and strumming it while another sat on the hilt of a blade strapped to his hip. He tapped his fingers against it, enjoying the rhythm that he found with it.

I wonder if he would like Kylie Minogue. A thought of curiosity tickled through Theo's mind. He was trying to think of ways that he could introduce Ta'zi to Human culture.

Yeah, Minogue music. The beats, the lyrics. She's already a self-established ambassador for space.

His tail flicked unevenly. He never listened to her music! It was Jansen who would blare her damn music in the showers that Theo would hear it.

"Damnit, Jansen!" He cursed beneath a decibel of his breath.

The two of them barely looked at one another. Theo could talk to him in Ta'zi's native tongue but figure there was no point in it. From the looks of it, the warrior seemed more incline to be alone and not bothered by from an alien like Theo.

Unknowingly, the warrior was secretly watching Theo from a careful distance with calculated glances that he would dart every now and then to Theo's direction. Just because Jake was busy and they were supposedly among friends did not mean he would allow his guard down.

What is this uniltìranyu looking at? Does he think he is better than me? Ta'zi's own imagination was beginning to jump a few steps ahead, leaving his own tail to whip around in the air.

Even with the silence, a cold war of looks were exchange. Unfortunately for Theo, his attention was nowhere near Ta'zi. Instead, his thoughts had clouded his vision, transporting him miles away from this very meeting.

I wonder if I let the lights on in my room. Damn, what if I did? I remember hearing Roberts having left his on onetime and—

Something large and dark soon blocked his vision as well as his train of thought. Blinking out of his trance, Theo soon realized it was Ta'zi. The Omaticayan warrior.

Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the warrior, Theo took a careful step back and quickly flashed a hesitant smile.

"Sorry, did I-"before Theo could convey his question in the na'vi tongue, the warrior took a step forward and beamed a cold stare down to the xenologist.

"You keep staring at me." The warrior finally spoke, his lips were sudden as were his words; sharp and to the point.

Shaking his head with uncertainty, Theo wasn't sure what to say. Was he really staring at Ta'zi without realizing it?

"I would have believed your people would have learned manners by now." He added, "And here you are, looking at me like an ikran looking at his next meal."

Theo struggled to formulate a comprehensible sentence but he could hear only the words of 'buts' interweaving with a stuttering sound.

The xenologist had little fear of the na'vi. He always held immense respect for them but within this fractured moment, within this bubble with this warrior, he could feel what fear felt like.

"Ngaytxoa!" Theo choked out, apologizing to the warrior for any offenses.

The warrior continued the stare down, making it feel like an eternity for Theo. His nostrils flared slowly with his breathing before finally the warrior relented and withdrew from Theo's space.

Silence again filled the air but now with Ta'zi looking at Theo in the same way that Ta'zi felt he looked to him. Invading his space with those large yellow eyes and the big head of his.

Before things grew any more out of control, Jake had returned by Ta'zi's side as did Catherine who returned to Theo's side.

"I hope you two got to know one another." Catherine mused as Jake nodded with a smile.

"More than what I bargained for." Theo remarked with a hint if realized dread tainting his voice.

"Ha! That's good. Already off on the right foot, huh Theo?" Jake interjected with that warm smile of his. He could have easily swoon any potential voter if he was running as a politician. "See? I told you he doesn't bite."

Jake looked over to Ta'zi and easily patted his shoulder as though the two of them were best buds.

Which was true from the expression written on Ta'zi's face.

Bold and full of a wide grin.

"All right, tomorrow at 0600 in the morning. Be at the front gate just outside of the wire and we'll take you to our land. Pack whatever you need to bring with you."

"Anything I shouldn't take?" Theo asked kindly, figuring it was best to not bring anything that in anyway may not be allowed within the Omaticayan territory. For all he knew, bringing even something as basic as a knife would set a few of them off.

Shaking his head, Jake believed there wasn't anything outside of the common sense.

"Obviously no firearms."

Theo nodded in agreement. "Fine by me."

Catherine jumped into the conversation, piqued by how they will deal with the Omaticayan warrior.

"What about Ta'zi?"

Jake looked over to him and shrugged.

"You guys have the upper hand in terms of firepower." Jake noted but it was obviously not the answer Catherine was looking for.

"But really? He can take care of himself."

Ta'zi looked over the Sky People before him with interest, even though he did not speak or understood their language, he could tell they were talking about him.

"Okay. Again, meet us at the front gate in the morning Theo. If there is nothing else to add to this meeting, then I guess we're good?"

Catherine and Theo nodded in unison.

"All's fair. I like it. Erm, here is the tablet back, Dr. Harrison."

Catherine took the tablet back and slid it behind her back along with her other hand.

"We will see you tomorrow then, Jake. Have a safe trip back."

"Will do." Turning an about face, Jake motioned for Ta'zi to follow as he and the rest of Jake's people left for the gate to return home.

Leaving Catherine and Theo behind, Theo turned and scratched the side of his face with a finger.

"I don't get it, Catherine. I thought I was here to translate, not to volunteer for this exchange program."

They walked some ways, her feet not really guiding her anywhere in particular but just enough to give themselves a buffer between them and Jake's entourage. When she felt they were safe from curious ears, she looked up to him and shuffled her hands around as to cradle the tablet in front of her now.

"I know you've been eager to get outside the wire like many of the drivers here. But it's more than that."

Theo blinked. More than that, she said?

"What do you mean?" He asked of her with a curious gaze bewitching the xenologist.

Dr. Harrison looked up to the driver with a serious look whittling away the soft expression she had for Jake.

"This is more than an exchange program, Theo. Jake and I need you for a little problem solving."

His tail began to sway with intrigue as her words continued piecing together the larger puzzle for him.

"What is it?" He said, adding a little impatience to his tone.

"We've came across a strange signal—"

"What kind of signal?" Boy, was he getting a little antsy? Catherine could see how eager he was to know what he was dealing with but Catherine pressed on.

"The signal is coming from a set of atoll islands hundreds of miles off the coast of Australis. We need to investigate it. But we can't do that without making the Tipani and other clans in the region suspicious to our actions. Jake and Neytiri agreed that they will help. They can't speak for any other clan except the Omaticaya. They're going to help get you there and you are going to record data from where the signal is coming from."

Of course, the signal was what concerned Theo the most.

"What… are you expecting, Cath?"

She looked down and gave an unsure shrug.

"The RDA have sent numerous scouting parties in the early days of colonization. One of them landed on these set of islands but never reported back. The RDA had tried to look for them but when they realized they couldn't, they written them off as having died bravely in the interest of mankind's need to survive."

Well that sucked.

"It's going to be a while before you even go. So, get used to living among the na'vi again. Okay?"

Theo was uncertain about the whole entire mission. It felt a little misleading.

"And you said Jake and Neytiri are on board with this op?"

Catherine nodded.

"We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't get the okay from at least one clan."

She reached up and grabbed his hand to keep him a little while longer.

"Listen carefully, Theo. We don't know what to expect from this mission. Not only are you going to those islands, but you are also playing another part with helping the Omaticaya. Don't get lost out there."

She didn't know how else to put it. Another driver going native? Damn it would look ridiculous.

She was surprised Norm didn't turn tail and became 'one' of them by now. Guess he figured it had to do with the injuries of his avatar.

He lost a portion of his queue when the round from a weapon had pierced through him and literally blasted the lowest portion of it right off.

He couldn't connect with his avatar for several days due to the pain being so severe. Eventually, Max devised a way where he could connect with his avatar safely and without the pain. A lot of science was involved that even Catherine herself couldn't quite recall what it was.

However, Theo took offense to the notion of going native.

"You think I would pull a Jake on you?" He stated almost coldly to Harrison.

"Stranger things have happened." She amused him but saw that he was not taking it.

He stood straighter and even brushed off her hand touching his, Theo was well above the idea of ever betraying his own humanity in exchange for thong-like garments and a simple way of life.

"I'm not like him!" He added with a raised hushed voice. "I won't be like him and I sure as hell not going to betray us."

Stunned by the sudden oncoming stance from Theo, Catherine quickly raised her hands up in surrender.

"I didn't say you are like him." She quickly reiterated. "But you need to understand something very clearly Theo. I've seen it a hundred times since I've been here. Everyone, including you have enjoyed going outside and into the wild and interacting with the na'vi. I get it. It sucks being stuck in here wearing masks and eating crappy food and dealing with crappier people. You drivers generally enjoy being out there more than being here."

She stopped, her mind halting as newfound words, clearer words were instantly found and she shot a look right back to him.

"No. You guys are addicted to this world. It's a drug and the moment someone yells out that they need a couple of drivers for a science sortie, you and many others jump at the chance. That is why you are here. To immerse yourself to this world. That is also why I am here. To make damn sure you don't become it."

She could see him holding back every ounce of anger that wanted to pounce at her, but when he finally comprehend those words, he relaxed.

"Y'know. Jake was not the only one."

The leonine ears on his head twitched to her words.

"Dr. Augustine loved the na'vi. That's why she taught them."

Yeah. He knew that.

"She also loved a Tipani who loved her just as much." She finally added as she saw Theo's face go from relaxed now to wide-eyed from the revelation she revealed.

"She didn't tell anyone else out of fear that she would be ridiculed for breaking the Program's rules. But she couldn't help it. Before the attack at her school, she met a young Tipani male who was the clans' scout. He foraged berries every morning to give to her before class and would give her the freshest of meats for her before she departed to Hell's Gate. She grew madly in love with him as did he. She would intentionally make excuses of staying longer at the school just so she could spend time with him. Eventually she was brought before the Tipani – his people – and was close to becoming part of the clan. He wanted her become his mate, but she unfortunately had to say no. No to it all. The chance of being discovered that she was breaking all the rules would've made her look like a mad or insane woman."

Theo quirked a brow and tried to remember the loose ends that Augustine intentionally left when she spoke about her experiences with the na'vi. Was there anything remotely close that tied together with Catherine's explanation?

"Even despite that, he still wanted to see her, to be with her. And when the attack happened, he defended her." Adjusting the mask, she could feel the flair of heat burning from her face. It was not a story told lightly. It was a personal story. One that only Augustine shared with Catherine during their many sessions together.

The only reason she told Theo was to get a point across and hopefully to make things more clear and serious about everything and every reason as to why they were here on Pandora.

"He defended her as well as her students. He was killed right along with the Omaticaya's princess." Catherine withdrew her gaze and looked down to her feet, the emotions trickling through her mind were hard.

"Ever since then. Dr. Augustine changed. She hated everything that the RDA did. Hated her colleagues, hated me. She really never gotten over it but she had to. Because if we found out that she loved that man. She would be on a trip back home. Then Jake came along and well… you know the rest."

Finding the courage and strength to look back to Theo, she hoped that the driver got her point. Otherwise she just wasted his and her time.

"So you see. I need you to stay level headed out there."

The eyes of the avatar darted down to the woman, his expression seemingly stoic as Theo folded both arms across his chest.

"Okay, Theo?"

The driver nodded. "Yeah… yeah you got it."

"Good. Then good luck, okay?"

Theo nodded and parted ways from Catherine, figuring it was best now to pack his belongings for his avatar before he departed in the morning.

As for Dr. Harrison, she too returned to Operations Center to prepare for Ta'zi's arrival. While Theo had his own separate mission, Ta'zi was a relative unknown entering their world.

A lot of moving parts, as they like to say.


	4. An Undiscovered Country

**An Undiscovered Country**

* * *

"Breathe, Theo, just breathe." Jansen instructed as she waved her flattened hand up and slowly down. Theo's breathing was all right but he was going too fast as were his eyes that twitched side to side. It was panic.

The room around him constricted in all the corners, gripping his mind and his body. He felt he needed to get out, to get fresh air but he couldn't. All around him were walls! Damnit!

"Theo, look at me." Jansen calmly asked of her friend. "Look at me. Relax. It's going to be okay."

He broke into a cold sweat and he looked deathly pale. A medic was on standby as was Max who had a transparent tablet computer scanning over his vitals.

"This… this is not good." Max muttered as Jansen flashed him a look to keep his words to himself.

"C'mon Theo, just breathe. It will be all right. Don't worry about what he said. Max is stupid sometimes."

"What the hell happened?" Norm asked as he walked in on the scene.

Jansen didn't answer but Max did. "He's having a panic attack."

Norm stopped in his tracks and looked over to Theo who now was having an oxygen mask placed over his face.

"What caused it?"

Max showed in the signs on his tablet computer to Norm, explaining what just occurred. "He was about to take off to meet with Jake when he only walked two feet before his avatar started glitching out and he just collapsed right there in the longhouse."

Jansen held his hand as she waited to see his eyes settling down on her face. "Good, you're back." She said softly with a warm smile to greet him.

"The avatar technicians are looking at his avatar right now. I can't say for sure if he can go back. I'm not even sure if he can go with Jake today." Max folded his arms with a concern look weighing down over him. He had a look that spelled doom very easily and was hardly camouflaged when he notice something very wrong.

"Yeah, I'll let Jake know right now." Norm insisted as he walked over to his link station to prepare to go to his avatar.

"No!" Theo protested loudly, scaring even Jansen who knelt beside him.

"Theo, you're not good to go man. Look at you, you look like hell buddy."

Theo shook his head and tried standing up. The medic held on to his arm but he brushed it off.

"No, I'm good to go. Let me go." Theo retorted with Norm trying to plead with a look to Max, hoping that someone would put some sense into him.

"No Theo, Norm's right. Your hands are shaking and you—"Jansen tried her own argument but Theo was having none of it.

"Theo, your avatar, we're not even sure if it is okay to link with it again." Max argued but Theo finally had the last straw.

"There is nothing wrong with my avatar. It was a glitch, okay? A glitch. I probably didn't set the wireless frequency right this morning." He huffed as he gave the oxygen mask back to the medic. Peeling away from the bed and everyone else, he shuffled to his station and quickly examined the computer.

Obviously seeing past his excuse, Norm interjected himself in an effort to protect Theo from rejoining his avatar.

"Listen, Theo. You know more than anyone else that a slightly off frequency does nothing. It just-"

"You guys don't get it, do you?" Theo kicked right in between Norm's words as he turned around and stared right back at the very man.

"Get what Theo? That you're looking to do more damage?" Jansen coldly added as she too folded her arms in protest against Theo's motivations.

He couldn't say it. Catherine's words that the addiction of going outside the wire was more than he could bare. Her words were true and he couldn't deny that addiction. One more day trapped in this tuna factory and he would start throwing things around.

Let's begin by throwing the computer that failed to catch the glitch in the first place!

Grabbing the stem of the pole, he flung the computer down to the ground with such ferocity that glass flew in all directions, startling even Norm who was some ways away from him.

"I've been stuck in this hell hole for more than eight months. Eight months because of the bullshit that happened with the Tipani. No one wants to take me outside the wire because they're afraid of pissing off the na'vi. The one chance. The. One. Chance that I get! And you bastards want to go behind my back and say, 'don't go' because of a little stupid glitch?"

Max tried to speak, to explain that he could wait at least one or two days more but Theo quickly evaporated Max's chance to speak.

"You-you have the opportunity to go to the Omaticaya whenever you like." He began saying as he looked to Norm and then to Jansen. "And you?" He added, contorting his face as though she was coming off more pretentious than usual. "You're practically best friends with every na'vi that you meet outside the wire. But me? I'm labeled as an assassin just because I mispronounced a couple of words and now I'm stuck behind the wire, looking at the outside in." Kicking the computer aside, Theo made his way to the next free link pod.

Typing furiously on the keyboard, he didn't bother looking back. He didn't care what they had to say nor did he care whether they helped or not.

"Theo." Jansen quietly called out to him but his back remained facing towards them.

His fingers were practically pounding each key as they danced across the keyboard itself. His eyes remained still and focused on the screen before him while he tuned out all the background noise.

"Theo, I get it. It's not fair what happened just now. I too would be as pissed off as you are." Jansen slowly rose to her feet while she brushed the strands of hair that hung across her vision.

"Give Max and his techs enough time to see if your avatar is okay. Then you can go."

Max gave a bewildered look to Jansen's words but she too followed it up with just going with the flow and allowing Theo his opportunity.

Theo stopped typing all together but remained still, his head hung low.

"Okay Theo?"

He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, feeling the embarrassing sensation boil up to his face. Finding whatever strength he had left, he looked back and nodded to Jansen in agreement.

"Catherine was right." He told them.

"About what Theo?" Norm asked, now siding with Jansen.

"It's nothing Norm. I just need some time. Let me know when I can test out my avatar." He quietly walked out from the room and somewhere more private and quieter.

When Theo was finally out of the room, Norm looked to Jansen with an expression hat asked what that was all about.

"He's right you know. Theo hasn't been outside these walls in eight months. We have more time being outside the wire than he does." Jansen tried to argue.

"Doesn't mean he has the authority to do with what he pleases with his avatar." Max stated as a matter of fact.

"But it is an extension of him, Max." Jansen reasoned before walking over to the damaged broken computer.

"Hard to explain Max but being in those avatars. You feel different."

"Of course you feel different. You're in a different body."

Jansen shook her head in disagreement as she knelt down and tried to pick some of the pieces into her hand.

"It's more than that." She said as she looked to one of the pieces of glass with more scrutiny.

"You're given a second opportunity to explore life a little more differently than you would have thought." The glass glimmered dimly in the artificial light as she held it between her fingers. A brief reflection of her face, distorted, could be seen as she smiled at the idea of joining with her own avatar today.

She too enjoyed that freedom as much as anyone of her colleagues did.

* * *

Warped sounds of muffled voices could be heard but not understood as a white hot flash of light beamed pervasively across the spectrum of fading darkness.

When it all came into focus, Theo begrudgingly pushed the light out of his face.

"I'm not blind." Theo muttered as they moved on with the sound tests.

Snapping their fingers, they wanted to ensure that each ear twitched and turned to focus in accordance to the sound.

"All right, he is good so far." One of the technicians commented as they noted it down on paper.

"Theo, look at me." Another technician instructed as she looked at him in the face. Suddenly he felt a twinge of pain stemming from his foot.

Looking down, Theo realized that they had put him in a medical gown.

"The hell guys? I don't have long to meet up with Jake." He tried explaining as he swiveled his feet off the bed to meet the floor.

"Jake can wait a little longer. Now lie back down." The tech insisted as she pressed her palms up against his frame.

"Lie down."

"Do as she says, Theo. Otherwise you're not leaving anywhere." Max said from behind the window of the ambient room.

"Did you feel the pain?" She asked of Theo.

"Yeah I did, are we good?"

"Not yet. Please raise your hand above your head."

Stupid tests. He swore he only had to do this once. Not twice. Complying anyways, he did as he was told and rose a hand above his head.

She watched for any signs in his eyes, to see if they would twitch.

Nothing.

"Good. Lower your hand please."

"Are we done now?"

"Not yet." She answered as she scribbled her notes down. That was annoying to see.

"Here, catch!" The other tech yelled out as he tossed a baseball in Theo's direction.

Theo caught sight of the ball coming to him and easily caught it with one hand, impressing the technician for his reflex.

"Good man, should've been a catcher in our baseball tournaments."

Smiling anyway to the odd comment, Theo tried to release the ball from his hand but continued to grip it.

Not wanting to make a scene, Theo felt puzzled by the feeling that he couldn't release his grip on the ball. He tried everything in secret without giving anything away but he could feel all the eyes on him. It felt very much as though his hand was asleep, a feeling of nothing. You knew your hand was there only it just failed to respond to you.

Finally, his hand loosened and the ball fell to the ground with a surprising thud.

One of the technicians bent over to pick it up, not thinking anything of it.

"All right. No problems here. You're good." She checked off the final listing on her notes and proudly smiled to the driver.

"Now before you go. I nee-"

"No time. I really need to go." Jumping off the bed, he shuffled himself pass both technicians and out towards the vault door.

"Hey, wait-wait. You can't go just yet. I need you to sign the form!" By the time she finished her sentenced, the man had already vacated the ambient room and into the garden.

"It's all right. Let him go." Max commented as he tapped his pen against the window in thought, pondering the precise cause of the glitch.

The light of the sun bathed the avatar as he walked out from the clutches of worrying hands and probing questions. It felt like a new dawn but one that was also riddled with worry as Theo quickly checked his body. He looked to each hand, flipping them over and under, clenching and relaxing. There was nothing wrong.

Then why couldn't I release the grip of the ball? He pondered briefly as he scrutinized the offended hand a little longer.

Tail swaying neutrally, he figured it was best not to linger too much on the problems that were hardly there. Jogging over and into to the longhouse, he scattered his gown (thankfully with no one else around) to the ground and quickly popped the trunk that sat in front of his bed wide open. Inside of it were fresh clothes.

Tying the last knot on his boot, he rose up with the backpack in hand and slid each arm into their respective loops before fastening the belt around his torso.

How exactly late was he? He checked his watch which read that he was already three hours behind. Norm told him that he notified Jake about the problem but he only hoped this didn't aggravated the situation further.

Checking his pockets, shirt, pants, and backpack twice more, Theo believed that he had everything. Running out of the longhouse, he tried to catch up to the front gate which was nearly a mile out from the avatar compound.

"Good luck, chief." One guard nonchalantly said as he paced leisurely just outside the compound.

If he was running in his normal average weak human body, he probably would've easily passed out by now. The atmospheric density on Pandora was a just above what it is like on Earth. Running only made you more aware of it as the pressure weighs on you. The air only grew even thicker around you. It made it almost impossible unless you didn't acclimatize to the Pandoran conditions.

For the soldiers here, they did that on a regular basis. Each morning, a few of them would run out around the perimeter, exercising as much as they could so their bodies could get used to it.

For drivers, that was different. You really didn't have the luxury to exercise frequently, no less outside. You did that in your avatar which Theo always found ironic. The RDA wanted them to exercise more in their avatars than they did with their human bodies.

Sure didn't make a whole lot of sense sometimes.

Finally reaching the gate, Theo waved the guard on the tower to let him through.

"Got an avatar coming through, open the gate!" The security officer yelled to his other buddies.

The gates, three times as tall as he was slowly began to grind the gears hidden from view. It took roughly thirty seconds for the gates to completely open for vehicles but for a single person it was very quick.

Expecting Jake Sully to be standing there, waiting with an impatient smug written all over was nowhere to be found. Instead, Theo was greeted by a band of other na'vi who looked even more agitated at the very idea of having to be asked to wait for this dreamwalker. A dreamwalker if one weren't too familiar with the word was effectively a slang word that was translated from the na'vi tongue. There were other slurs that labeled avatars, one of which was demon and something that Theo hasn't been called.

Yet.

Taken back by the fact that Jake was not here, he greeted them none the less.

"Oel ngati kameie." Theo warmly addressed.

One of the na'vi who appeared to be a warrior of sorts gave a curious blink to his other clan mate. That other clan mate as soon as Theo saw him was none other than Ta'zi.

The warrior had his own belongings that was all wrapped in some sort of leaf cocoon. He stepped a few feet forward and looked Theo up and down, wondering where the female was.

"Oel ngati kameie, Theoh." Ta'zi returned the greeting. He appeared to be a little more welcoming than last time that they met.

"Jahake instructed me to tell you that you will be returning to our lands momentarily." The warrior stated with a strongly laid na'vi accent. Of course he was also speaking in his native tongue, which was something of a needed challenge for Theo. Having not spoken to a native speaker of the language, Theo smiled and realized precisely what he was saying; however that faint stinging reminder of screwing it up once with the Tipani remained tainting his memory.

"Where should I go, Theoh?" The warrior asked, his expression growing ever more curious as he lit up with what Theo could only guess as being excited.

Pointing into the direction of the compound, Theo explained how to get there and whom to meet.

"Walk all the way there. Norm, Jake's friend will be waiting for you."

Ta'zi took several more steps, this time crossing into the familiar yet alien ground. The hard concrete ground was completely different to the dirt and grass that he felt just moments before. It stung his soles and pinches his toes, he only hoped that where he would be living was like that of the forest.

The last time he stood on this ground was yesterday and he couldn't get over the fact that he wanted out as soon as possible.

"Irayo, Theoh. Eywa ngahu."

"Eywa ngahu, Ta'zi." Nodding to him, he waved to him as he saw the warrior quietly march towards the compound.

What was left now was to join the rest of the group who appeared not at all pleased.

"Kaltxi." Theo greeted again, hoping to get some sort of response.

"I am Theo."

Each of them, which was only about five including their direhorses, looked among one another before looking back to Theo.

"We know who you are." Said a female na'vi who dismounted from her direhorse in one quick motion. Theo could only blink as she approached him with a swift step or two before she was close him.

"Jahake entrusted us to bring you to our home."

Could she at least smile?

"Now. Mount." She stated callously with a finger pointing to one of the direhorses.

Switching his attention to that creature, he curiously but cautiously approached it with slow methodical steps.

One of the warriors was not having it.

"Do not fill your mind with fear, Theoh." He said as he too approached the direhorse with ease and made a swift natural connection with the neural whip that naturally lowered to him. He mounted the direhorse and looked down to Theo with a grin.

"Do you see? No fear, Theoh. No fear." He added while lovingly patting the side of the creature which responded in kind with a strange weird grunting noise.

Swallowing the lump of embarrassment, Theo walked to the animal but paused on what he needed to do to mount the damn thing.

"Uhm," he murmured aloud as he studied the creature.

The female na'vi who looked on from her own direhorse began throwing her tail around in annoyance of such a pathetic sight she was seeing.

Exhaling, the male warrior lowered his hand to Theo who graciously accepted it but didn't expect the sudden force from him as he was practically lifted off the ground and over onto the direhorse.

"The pa'li is a gentle creature. A kind loving one. But do not test their patience Theoh or else they will sense it and hate you forever." The warrior recited as he looked over his shoulder to the dreamwalker.

"Are you settled in?" He asked to which Theo silently looked around.

"Yes."

"Now hold onto me." The warrior instructed. Leaving the xenologist with no other choice but to put his hands around the native's waist.

New experiences, Theo tried to persuade himself but was not mentally prepared when the direhorse kicked and snapped forward, jolting the unexpected driver in his position behind the rider.

"We are late!" The female cried out as she too had her direhorse charge for the forest. "Hurry!"

The ride was more than what Theo could handle, feeling every kick and percussive bump of the ride as he held on for dear life. To make matters worse, they were handling the direhorse like a damn dune buggy, forcing the creatures to now go actually into the damn forest!

His rider's hair began flowing in the wind, causing much of the braided stuff to start whiplashing Theo's face.

"Awh cr-crap!" Theo cursed as he tried desperately to push the offensive hair out from his face to no avail. "Pweh!" Some of it unfortunately got into his mouth.

The animals ran faster and faster, dipping into valleys and streams and jumping over fallen trees and narrowly missing a boulder or two.

The vines that hung from low hanging branches nearly snagged Theo who wasn't paying attention.

The forest around them grew even more stranger as the ride to the Omaticaya territory continued on. Trees that were familiar around Hell's Gate began to recede away while introducing new species that he had forgotten that they existed.

There were massive trees and there were small tree-like plants that coiled, twisted and deformed with beautiful vibrant colors that tricked you into making you think they were anything but dangerous.

Soon, they were running across a field that was lush with plants of all varying sizes and fascinating evolutionary designs. Giant balls that floated in the air, filled with gases that he had forgotten the names to. Others had mouth-like appendages that served as the 'flower' part. A river then opened to a more physical route for the riders to take through the valley. A narrow strip of land allowed the direhorses to run even faster, which for Theo made it uneasy for him as he looked over and saw that the river was wide and fast. The waters rushed as quickly as they did but in the opposite direction while the hooves of the animals were narrowly missing the finger-length space that served as a buffer between them and a fall into the cold rapid waters.

Their lead rider raised her hand and yelled out a cry, alerting the other riders to speed up.

Wait. Why the hell were they speeding up even more?

He tried to ask his own rider but was nearly kicked in the head when the direhorse literally jumped over a five foot gap.

"This is crazy!" Theo shouted in English as his rider laughed at the nonsense and gibberish that spewed from the alien's mouth.

Meanwhile at Hell's Gate, Ta'zi was greeted by Norm who stood by waiting for the warrior make his debut to the crowd of other 'dreamwalkers'. Now he was the alien.

"Oel ngati kameie Ta'zi." Norm welcomed the warrior and moved out of the way for him to witness the compound for his own eyes.

The grass beneath his feet and between his toes was an absolute and much needed change from having walked on that rough pavement for several minutes in this heat.

"Oel ngati kameie Norm." Ta'zi returned the greeting with a flickering but faint smile. Norm's name was the easiest pronounce without it sounding it with an accent.

"Do not worry ma friend. You are among friends here. Whatever you need, we will happily supply." Norm said with an ever widening grin of his.

"Where will I sleep?" Ta'zi asked curiously.

Subjectively, Norm felt that Ta'zi could sleep wherever he pleased.

"Anywhere." Norm answered.

The warrior looked at him for a moment to see if he was mocking him but understood what he meant and promptly nodded.

"Irayo."

Soon, other drivers gathered closely with Norm and all had their hands somewhere around them. Some had them behind their backs, others in their pockets. But for the most part were trying to play it as reserved as possible.

Clearly they were not holding back the gawking looks they gave to Ta'zi who coldly stared right back at them.

"Er-uh, these are friends Ta'zi."

"Kaltxi, Ta'zi." Jansen interjected herself by motioning with her hand the Omaticayan greeting.

He returned the same greeting back with his own hand. He liked that they studied his clan's greetings which made him slightly more comfortable than moments before with all the staring. Though that still hasn't evaporated yet.

"I am Sarah Jansen."

He rolled his tongue around, his cheeks rising as Ta'zi tried to formulate the very alien name in his tongue.

"Sss… Serah Jaw-Jawseen."

"Good enough for me, Ta'zi." Jansen smiled. "Welcome again to our home."

"It is an honor to be among your people." Feeling a little claustrophobic with all the looks he was getting, he expeditiously pushed his way pass them as he tugged his bow and the leaf-like bag a little tighter.

Watching from a distance, the crowd saw the na'vi perch his new home by the small artificial stream.

Leaning in close to Norm, Jansen wondered what they should do for him tomorrow.

"What do we… teach him, Norm?"

The scientists shrugged and looked back at her with the same bewilderment that was on her face.

"I'd say, give him some time until he can get used to this place."

She agreed. "Gotcha."

Unfolding a sort of webbed blanket, Ta'zi began laying out his tools and equipment as well as the bow that he unfastened from his frame and lowered to the ground. Soon, the na'vi began going through his own routine of checking his weapons and equipment. Alone.

After a long ride (for Theo), they came across a divided pass. The river. It was very wide and the direhorses would need to take it more slowly.

"Thank God." Theo exhaled as he watched as one by one each direhorse and their riders slowly walked into the water.

The river was slower here but none the less dangerous. The water levels easily reached up to the creature's breathing holes that could potentially choke the animal if their rider was not carefully aware of the waves coming in.

Leaning in behind his rider, Theo asked if he needed to do anything.

"No. Do not let go of me." He instructed and Theo did as he was told.

When it was their turn, Theo watched with baited breath as the direhorse slowly submerged each of the six legs into the water. At first, the level only reached up to the joints before soon reaching to Theo's thighs.

The direhorse was practically swimming by this point but was all the more cautious as they made their way across the river.

When they made it to the other side, Theo let out all the air that he kept in before patting the creature on its side.

"What's her name?"

The warrior retorted at such an offense of the wrong gender.

"She is he. Not her. And his name is Senu."

"Senu. Beautiful name." Theo remarked as he continued to pet the animal.

"Beautiful? A name is not beautiful, Theoh. My mate… now she is beautiful. But a name? No."

It would be another two hours before they would enter the territory as their pace slowed down to a near walk for the creatures, leaving Theo with plenty of time to kill in knowing who these na'vi were.

"What is your name?" Theo asked kindly as he wringed out the water from his shirt.

"My name?" The warrior quipped inquisitively.

"Yes. You do have a name, right?"

The warrior chuckled. "Yes. I am only afraid that you might find it beautiful."

Theo couldn't help but laugh right with him.

"Fair enough."

"I am Oywem." The warrior answered with a flick of his gaze turning to meet Theo's.

"Senu." He added, motioning to the direhorse and then to himself. "Oywem."

"Oywem." Theo tried saying the name and found it was not too hard to say. "I like it."

Beautiful. Like. What is wrong with this uniltìranyu?

"Theoh. I advise you keep your strange feelings to yourself." Oywem stated with a hint of sarcasm wrapping with his tone.

Nodding, Theo hid a growing smirk as he looked over to the female rider who was now even with the rest of their pace.

"Kaltxi. What do your People call you?"

For a moment, the female didn't bother looking but then she did and only because she did not want to come off as rude to their guest.

"Ki'ol." She answered with nothing more to add as she returned her attention to the front.

"Ki'ol?" Theo repeated back to her, hoping to spark a conversation.

Nothing.

Giving up on that path, Theo brought his own attention back to Oywem – quite literally.

He wanted to ask how much further it was but hesitated in asking anyways. It was not in part because he wanted to be rude but rather he was beginning to chafe downstairs.

To hell with it.

"Oywem, how much further?" The driver asked as neutrally as possible.

"Hmh? We have been here for some time."

Theo quirked a brow and looked around. Nothing highly unusual except there were more trees on this side of the river than the other side. It was probably best to take Oywem by his word. After all, Theo had never visited the Omaticayan territory since their Hometree was destroyed.

What the driver didn't realize was the multitude of archers and guards who were stationed in the trees. They were quiet, hidden from view but had their eyes on the approaching party.

The female leader who went by Ki'ol started clicking her tongue in a sequence pattern, alerting her other riders to dismount.

Oh thank goodness. Theo couldn't wait to get off but he would wait until Oywem would dismount before allowing himself to follow suit.

The curious bug in Theo caused him to look around for any tall tell signs of the Omaticaya's presence. Scanning the bushes, the trees and even in the distance of what he could see. There was nothing.

Where exactly was he?

Ki'ol soon gave out a wild cry that was very animal in nature, so much so that Theo's ears coiled back, avoiding the screech as Theo looked over to the woman and wondered what spirit possessed her to use such a sound.

Suddenly, shadowy figures molted from behind the cover of the trees. One by one, they divided themselves from the shadows and quietly approached with bows in hand.

Quite the welcoming party, Theo thought as he looked on with intrigue tickling his senses.

One of the lead figures had webbing covering its face, reaching as far down as the torso. It was weaved with flora of all sorts, blending and camouflaging and ultimately breaking the natural form of the na'vi body.

Soon, Theo was face to face with it or whoever it was.

Faintly he could tell of a smile creeping beneath the webbing as the archer gripped one of the edges and peeled back the mask-like attire.

Instantly Theo felt flushed by the sudden embarrassment of not realizing who that was. That was twice today that he got embarrassed. Hopefully no more would follow as he could feel the eyes of everyone around him staring at the warm heat that radiated off his cheeks.

"Neytiri?" Theo whispered with a surprise tone trailing right behind his words. Everyone knew who Neytiri looked like. It was unmistakable. Jake made her appearance popular among the drivers after the events that led him to become one of them.

Even with six or so years behind him, Theo had only met with the Omaticaya when they visited Hell's Gate. Never had he had the chance to meet them where they lived. An obvious stand point as they would defend it to the death and would have stronger defenses here than when they moved abroad.

She looked to the driver and tilted her head. Her eyes studied his features briefly as she smiled warmly to their new guest.

"You must be Theoh." She naturally said in English.

What the hell was with the ghillie suit? Theo didn't want to distract himself from looking at her newfound attire but it was highly unusual for the Omaticaya to wear any of that.

"I am." He answered casually, still studying her appearance.

"You're looking at me with confusion, maybe wondering why you find our People wearing these disguises." Neytiri said as she tugged on some of the webbing between her fingers.

He nodded. "It certainly is strange."

"Not as strange as you wearing those clothes." She pointed to the string of clothing that didn't follow any sort of pattern. He would absolutely stick out like a sore thumb if they took him out on a hunt.

She was right yet Theo only shrugged.

However, before he could follow it up with a counterpoint she figured it was best to answer the heavy question that laid running in his head.

"Ma Jahake has been teaching us about these…" she looked to the floor for the words before retracting her attention back to Theo. "Tack-ticks."

"Tactics?"

"Yes."

She explained further as she motioned for him to walk alongside her. Everyone else knew what to do and immediately followed with them into the deeper regions of their territory.

"What about them, if you do not mind me asking?"

She happily obliged in satisfying his curiosity.

"With your own people, we must find ways to protect ourselves. Jahake has taught most of us on how to blend with our surroundings. Before we were only masters of our surroundings. Now we have become invisible. Spirits of the forests who walk among the living."

Jake was very busy it seemed. The na'vi were easily adapting human knowledge to their own, faster than Theo could have predicted for their culture.

"That is interesting." Theo mused while his attention swiveled all around, his gaze openly studying the environment that engulfed them so easily.

Neytiri suddenly found herself standing in front of him, her own gaze becoming serious as she questioned his honesty.

"But." She began to say while her honest and sincere expression gave way to a more needing of understanding of the dreamwalker.

"Are you as interested in teaching our People or are you here for other reasons that could be lies?"

Originally, lying was not a word that any na'vi understood. That was until the arrival of the RDA. Then lying became a weapon to be used against the ignorant natives of this world.

Now that they have dealt with the RDA personally, every na'vi understood what lying was and were quick to seek it out like bloodhounds.

Taken by her thoughtful question, Theo gave a quick nod. "I am." Though to be sure that he was on the same page with Neytiri, he also added the other little reason for why he was here.

"I am also here for the signals."

She remained silent, leaving Theo to only watch as she tilted her again in the opposite direction; her eyes seemingly never ending with the probing as they traced every contour of his face. Watching for the one fleeting moment that could give way to his betrayal.

"I know." She calmly whispered as she gradually turned and walked beside the dreamwalker. "Welcome to our home."


	5. The Shortest Distance Between Two Points

**The Shortest Distance Between Two Points**

* * *

Does your heart betray you as you betray yourself?

This evil that exists within us, that binds us together. Is this the evil that we are after the same evil that lives within ourselves?

* * *

 **Six Years and Six Months Before Contact [Sol Date: August 23rd, 2154.]**

* * *

"Ghuuuh!" Panic settled in Jake's eyes as the rapid decompression of his lungs vacated all of the oxygen, flushing with it the necessary chemicals to continue on living. Ironic that he would die this way and not from the blade or a bullet, but from one single heave of his collapsing lungs as they tire from holding in the last remaining ounces of air.

Jake was a trained 1st Recon Marine, having experienced a multitude of chemical exposure, from tear gas to the stuff that Marines call 'Hanoi Surprise'. This however was unlike anything Jake had experienced. The hydrogen sulfide had mixed in with the rest of the atmosphere, hiding its familiar odor and sneaking in with each frantic gasp of breath.

Each breath was essentially his last gulp of air. It poured into his lungs, finding little time to settle in as more were breathed in. It quickly absorbed into the cells from which it destroyed the membrane of the silica, rendering his lungs useless within a matter of two minutes if not less.

Jake's lungs soon corroded, his vision beginning to blur between reality and the apocalyptic fires of the Hometree that he was guilty of. Even in the midst of his panic, he could remember faintly of Quaritch's warning about the Pandoran atmosphere. "The moment you breathe it in, it will knock you on your ass," Quaritch coldly stated in a blurred memory that now eroded along with all other warnings.

One could almost feel the beating pulses of their own heart as it singed into the rapid dissention of instinctive fear and adrenaline. Both of course were accustomed with one another. Despite all this, there was a lingering sense of peace behind the chaos. Peace that the Omaticaya and every other tribe will live on in peace. That his life meant something more than he would have wished it.

That Neytiri would live on, find someone she would love just as much as she loved him.

His life was complete. He was going to die with honor like any Marine would have wanted.

Soon, Jake was within his final moments. The toxin had taken control of his body, now all he had to do was take in a few more gulps of air and he would soon pass from this world.

His blurred vision could not cope with the moving images of a violet figure, a stream of colors that vaguely look like watercolor paintings, moving with the pace of the wind as it filled his field of eroded view as it hovered over him like a phantom.

Was this death? Was it time already?

"Jahake!" The words meant little to him, it sounded muffled, distorted and very angry. It had to be death, upset at his failure for a complete life.

"Ma Jahake!" Again these words fought through, hoping to the best of hopes and praying to the best of prayers that her Jake would respond.

Neytiri shook with immense fear, if fear was a person, she was its embodiment. Her frantic eyes peeled and turned all over his body, her hands hovering close to his face and his chest. She was not sure what to do or how to—

She couldn't think! Her mind raced as fast as her heat could beat away. She poured herself over him, her face close to his as she tried to think. She could see that his eyes were already rolled into the back of his skull and his mouth gasping urgently, hoping that it would be granted the life of air that his body needed right in that very moment.

In her moment of sheer fraught and fear, Neytiri furiously searched for any method or device that she could provide in his relief. Her tail swatted behind her and her ears tipped back. Her face was construed with dread as beads of sweat made lines down her face. She didn't want to break down and cry, there was no time. Time was against her, an enemy like the man who threatened to kill Jake. Her Jake.

A mask sat next to him, his hand once clung to it but failed to make the full connection to his face.

She remembered seeing his people put these on their faces—

—To breathe!

Her lithe hands shot for the mask and instantly brought it over his face. He was still gasping, he was still seeking for the air he needed.

Her lips trembled as she slid the mask over his face and slowly but generously applied pressure with both hands, hoping that it would somehow seal.

She was not at all familiar with these contraptions, having never even touched one before. She was inexperienced, which further agitated the young princess who fought every tear back to help her mate. Blinking past the fear, a faint spark of hope caught her eye but quickly faded away.

Jake had stopped breathing.

At 150 parts per million, the hydrogen sulfide would began to have an effect on the olfactory nerves. Causing the victim to lose their sense of smell. Jump to 530 ppm and the central nervous system begins to fail. Rapid breathing from the lungs correlated to the effects of losing oxygen. Jake was on the verge of death – if he was not there already.

But Jake was breathing in more than 800 parts per million. A lethal concentration if there was any. Part of the habitat that his link pod was stationed in kept most of the hydrogen sulfide out, the oxygen tanks near the floor where Jake lied were leaking, pushing back some of it but not all and clearly not enough for the man to survive as Neytiri watched a part of her die with him.

He started to foam at the mouth, his eyes turning bloody, leaving Neytiri with nothing to do but sob with uncontrolled tears that fell from her cheeks. She pressed both hands over the mask, yelling for Jake to do something.

"Jahake! You fight! Fight!" She yelled at him, her face contorting with anger more than sorrow as she got close to his mask, her reflection beaming with equal anger in the visor. "You stubborn skxawng! FIIIGGGHTTT!"

"Why did you do this, Tommy?" Jake asked his deceased brother who lied in the cardboard coffin, wrapped in plastic bags as his body was prepared to be consumed in flames.

He never got that answer and as Jake watched quietly in his wheelchair, he only wished it was him instead of Tommy that now burned in the crematorium. Jake had nothing going for himself. He lost the ability to walk and along with it any semblance of a normal life.

"Why save me?" Jake finally asked of his newfound ally. This alien woman who was eager to return home, found little reason to pause and answer his stupid questions. Except for that one. When she turned to look at him, Jake remembered catching for the first time the patterns that weaved and contoured around her face. They were like a constellation of stars of the night sky. Awe-struck, Jake barely had the chance to notice that this very woman looked back to him, piqued by the question that she too was challenged by in answering.

When she did find the answer in the deepest part of her sincere soul, she looked across to him and answered honestly. He remembered it sounded more truthful than he heard before.

"You have a strong heart. No fear."

So did Tommy.

"Ma Jahake…" Neytiri murmured under her breath as she watched her love remain motionless in her arms.

Her voice, the only tangible link to life may have suddenly given her love the life he needed. A hand that once lied motionless on the ground had jerked up into the air, fingers clawing around as they found their way to the mask. As Neytiri had her own hand over the mask, she felt his fingers digging through her own, caring little that she was there at all as his fingers desperately sought out the valve that would soon give him life again.

"Jahake?" Neytiri asked, not waiting for a response as she lied him carefully on the ground again. Her eyes danced up to his eyes and down to his mouth, wondering if he was breathing again.

His hand continued to fiddle for something that he couldn't quite get to yet. Neytiri tried to help but she too wasn't sure what he was doing. "Jahake! What do you need? Tell me! Please!"

Jake was barely conscious and aware of where he was that training had kicked him for him to press hard on the valve on the side of the mask to evacuate the hydrogen sulfide. A faint hiss could be heard, bringing Neytiri's ears forward as she looked down over him with eager anticipation.

As soon as the oxygen flooded into the mask, Jake relaxed again, only to make Neytiri fear for his life once more. "No! Jahake! No!"

It was not enough and the man fell back to the floor.

Silence immortalize her feverish doubts and thoughts as she reached down and brought her arms around him.

"No, no!" She began saying as her face shook with fear. "Jahake!" Her hand instinctively began combing through his hair while she pressed her hand against his mask, hoping her efforts would help him again.

He was lifeless.

"Ma-Ja…hake." Neytiri choked, her words shortened to a faint whisper as tears from her cheeks landed onto his visor. Her hand hovered over his mask, afraid to touch it any further as she sat back and leaned against the link pod behind her.

She was now cradling her dead mate. Her future.

"Gwah!" A desperate gasp of air startled the warrior princess as she looked down and saw that Jake was looking back at her.

"Jahake?"

She began to notice his lips moving, not realizing the amount of energy Jake was expending to smile to her, to let her know that he was alive.

"Jahake!"

He mouthed phantom words that Neytiri didn't quite catch the first time as Jake had neither the energy nor even the lungs to speak. It was a moment later that she realized that he said

—I see you—

She smiled, her heart swooning to the highest of peaks as she quietly stroked the side of his face for both of their comforts, "stay with me, Jahake. Stay with me."

It wouldn't be long before help would arrive and that Jake found himself bed ridden back at Hell's Gate. Neytiri would not see her mate for several days as the Omaticaya delegated a truce between her people and his.

She remembered seeing Norm again, this time in his human body. He had relayed information concerning Jake. Her Jake. It was the most dreadful of news she could have received.

"His body is dying, Neytiri." Norm started off somberly. "The air poisoned his body. If… if we do not do something. He will die soon."

That day, Neytiri fought every urge to not seek out those responsible and kill them.

"You brought this upon us!" She yelled at Norm that day. As insensible were her words, Norm knew exactly what she meant and he knew he had to do something about it. Returning back to the compound, Norm sought out his colleagues to discuss the next viable option.

"We have no other choice. He has to transfer his consciousness." Norm stated factually, finding no other option but to do what they were planning with Dr. Augustine.

"And what of his body? What about his choice?" Others questioned Norm's motives, hoping that his idea was the best for Jake in the long run.

Norm only shook his head, finding they ran out of options. "If we don't do this now. He won't live to make future choices."

Agreeing, Norm and other drivers brought Jake's body and his avatar to the forum of the tree of souls. The Omaticaya clan had gathered, praying and chanting that the transfer would be successful.

"When he wakes up on the other side. Will he hate us?" One of the drivers asked of Norm whose only concern was for his friend. Yet, he did still hold an opinion on the whole outcome, "At least he will have a pulse to hate."

Being alive was more than anything Jake could have asked for and then some. He had been in a coma for several days, his body ragged and decaying from the toxins that still remained in his system. There was no other way to purge it from his body, at least not in his state without risking further damage.

The transfer of his consciousness to his avatar was a successful one. One that was celebrated the moment he opened his eyes. Every Omaticayan jumped and shouted, hugging one another as did Neytiri who held her Jake for the longest time to which Jake jokingly murmured that he couldn't breathe. She took it seriously of course and restrained herself.

"I'm only kidding Neytiri." Jake grinned as he took her face into one hand and brought those lips closer to his own.

She smiled over the kiss and sobbed joyfully of his return to this life.

But his return was bittersweet. Jake fought in silence to not question anyone as to why they didn't at least woke him out of his coma to ask if it was all right to be in this body for the rest of his life. Not that he wouldn't say no but he felt out of his element. Out of his control.

Norm of course opined that he was an induced coma, for a reason. He was suffering from brain damage and likely bringing him out of a coma would have caused severe harm.

The celebration went on through the night and everyone was celebrating something. To be alive, to have won and ultimately to have peace again. But peace would be a rare commodity for their new Olo'eyktan who remained silent against the backdrop of the party. Even with the loss of their Hometree, they found refuge within the sanctuary that was the Tree of Souls.

"Ma Jahake?" Neytiri's face enveloped his peripheral vision as did her voice who tickled into his ear.

Jake looked to the side and smiled cheerfully, even if it was only a half-smile that pushed away the surfacing doubts of his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Why are you not joining us?" She asked, holding out her hand for him to take.

He looked down to her hand and paused at the sight of her hand that was clearly blackened with bruises by the fight days ago. "You're hurt," he stated astutely as he took her 'injured' hand into his own and began massaging it.

In truth, he did not want to indulge her in the question.

"Do not joke, Jahake. My hand does not hurt…" she chided coyly as she grew closer to him, breathing in the scent that lured her here in the first place. Extending her palm onto his chest, Neytiri wanted to feel his heart beating beneath her while she looked wordlessly into his eyes once more.

Staring intensely back into her own gaze, Jake could not help but smile warmly to his mate while he meandered with her hand, a thumb lovingly stroking over her knuckles that sent shivers across her entire body.

Despite what Jake could feel in his newfound life, he was reminded of how she had saved his life - a life that by no means deserved to be saved. A life that endangered the lives of others for his own self-interest. For his own self gains. How dare he deserve her! Yet logic was defied and Neytiri remained where she was, smiling from underneath his gaze that breached the very concrete walls of his mind.

Taking his hands into her own, she guided him to her heart so that he too could experience the swelling of a fire that never died out. To experience the awakenings of a soul and the gentle pulses of a life that he had saved, to quietly thank him as well as to cherish the moment that she so desperately craved for.

Jake eagerly slipped an arm around her lower back and held her close as he guided her through the crowd that played the music of her People. Ancient songs spilled forth from the lips of the singers as fires that flickered from perched stands burned with the purple hue of the Pandoran air. Even now, they had become one. Neytiri had become one with him as Jake became one with her. Their lives intertwined together like the unforeseen destinies of their future weaving in and out of the universe, threading together a life that they would experience for all of time.

He never did answer her why he did not join them.

The next day was bittersweet. He would see Parker and his goons leave Pandora for good but first he would have to attend his own funeral.

Neytiri's mother had begun the prayers, prayers that transcended any religion of humanity and one that spoke from her soul. Looking down into the grave, Jake stared at his lifeless body that was curled into a fetal position. Neytiri was holding onto her mate's hand as she felt his palms becoming sweaty.

Quirking a brow over to her mate, she watched with questionable thoughts as Jake silently peddled back and forth as to why he was here.

What are you doing Jake? He would ask himself every time he would disconnect from his avatar. It wasn't so much a question that he postulated for a philosophical reason than it was to question his internal motives. Motives that went beyond what anyone could see.

He was not supposed to be here. He had a life on Earth, a crappy life but a life none the less. Thomas was supposed to be. He was the real brains of their family and if he had any guts, he would come back from the dead to kick Jake's ass for stealing his avatar.

Thomas could have fallen for Neytiri. He could have a life here, free from the burden and problems of Earth.

All he could see down in that grave was not even himself. It was Tommy again.

He already saw his brother 'buried' once. Now he would see it again who cheated him out of a life that he now inhabited.

"Damn." Jake breathed, catching Neytiri's attention who bent slightly forward to look him in the face.

"Jahake?" She could see his jaws clenching tight as his hand squeezed harder around hers. "Jahake, what is wrong?"

Those men pushed his brother's cardboard coffin – the cheapest coffin that Jake at the time could afford – into the pit of hell.

"Damnit Tommy, you bastard." Jake began to say a little louder, distracting even Neytiri's mother who was saying the final prayers.

"Jahake, please tell me what is wrong." Neytiri questioned him as she tugged on his hand to relax his grip.

Flashes of Tommy's face came in rapid succession. Each of them were fulfilling a wide range of emotions as he saw Tommy getting his master's degree and hanging out together in a bar to celebrate.

"Hey Jake. Think I'll be the first to bring back some Pandoran dirt?" Thomas asked jokingly as he swirled his beer in the mug.

"What are you saying, Tom? Thinking about going into space? You already got your masters, now you want to one up us all by planting your feet on a world no one gives a shit about?" Jake rebutted seriously with a short pause before cracking out a laughter.

"Y'know what. Yes. I'm going to one up you and then some. You watch, I'll be on national tv and you'll see this ugly smug look plastered all across the city screens. And then you're going to be proud of me." Thomas added as he posed a look for the 'screen'.

Jake laughed hysterically, not taking him seriously at all. No matter how much Tommy tried to come off super serious, he always had that dumb look that managed to even get all the ladies. But as soon as the laughter subsided, Jake wanted him to know that he was already proud of him.

"That honey bees delight has gone straight to your head, hasn't it?" Jake added with a funny looking point of his finger to the mug.

"Guess what Tommy?"

"What?" He said, gulping down more of the alcohol and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. He sure did look a little tipsier than a drink before.

Leaning in, Jake waved for him to get closer as though he was about to share a secret. "I want you to know something," Jake began to say with a sincere smile, "I am very proud of you."

Pausing from his own drink, Thomas leaned back into his seat and thought about his brother's words. "That drink sure turns you into a lady."

Jake laughed, "Asshole!"

"But thanks. It really means something for you to say that." Thomas simply smiled as he brought up the mug to his lips, drinking their last drink together before he left for the Program the next morning. Jake could never forget how he smiled. It was a devious grin that substituted itself with a smile, mischievously hinting what he was thinking.

Yet maybe he wasn't thinking behind Jake's back, planning his next move to get his way. Maybe he really was smiling sincerely. Thanking Jake for everything he had done for his brother.

Thanking him for being there by his side…

…and leaving Jake with the anger that never found an outlet to flee all these years.

Until now.

Bottled from within, the anger that bounded and arrested Jake had taken a single look out and into the void of the world; it had found its opportunity to escape. Violently shaking Jake to his core, his legs wobbled and weakened before completely giving out from underneath him. His kneels hurled to the earth, colliding with the dirt that he had momentarily stood upon, followed by a hellish scream into the pit of his own reflection. He was lost.

Neytiri fell with him, gripped by his latched hand as she landed beside him. Her eyes fell upon her mate as she watched in horror as Jake cried out like a wounded creature, pierced by an arrow through the heart. The chaos of emotions only grew louder, mimicking the sound of metal grinding against flesh while the drums of his anger pounded fiercely against his mind.

The scene became a reticence of shock as everyone around Jake pulled their collective attention to him. They, as he was, were catatonic to do anything about it.

Tommy was supposed to be here. Not Jake. Not in a million years.

Jake would not say anything for the rest of the day, his demeanor becoming still and callous as he walked back to Hell's Gate. Friends greeted him but he said nothing to them as he marched himself towards Parker who stood by with packed bags and a distraught crowd who feared the future.

Parker took a brief look around, noting that there was nothing left of Hell's Gate that he realized. It was all now inhabited by these blue cats.

"Turn out the lights when you're done with her." He asked of Jake who only looked down to him with an unforgiving scowl.

Picking up his bag, Parker proceeded to follow the long line to their new fate aboard the Valkyrie. During one of these moments, Jake could see the crush defeated look on Parker before acknowledging the na'vi victory with a simple nod.

Deep down, Parker was glad they had won. He couldn't live with himself knowing that Quaritch would have wiped them all out.

Watching the Valkyrie depart from the ground below, Jake realized that he had a new life now. A life on this alien world. It was a radical change and he was the radical he would change the course of humanity forever.

Sighing deeply, the once-human-now-turned na'vi looked about his newfound family at the Tree of Souls. Neytiri approached him as the clan around them celebrated their final victory over the Sky People.

She took each step towards her mate with slow calculated risk as her smile grew wider, leaving Jake with a view of her hips that were silhouetted by the radiance of the bioluminescence from the tree.

Giving herself permission, Neytiri took his hand and wrapped herself around his frame. She breathed in his scent and held him as close to her body as possible before allowing herself to lean into his ear and hotly whisper her words to him.

"Welcome home, ma Jahake."

Jake slowly melted into her arms, relaxing from all the emotional tidal waves that eroded away at his soul today. He then looked out beyond to their family as they sang cheerful songs and danced with one another. Each smile could be seen as well as the laughter's that could be heard filling the air was more than anyone could have asked for. Yet it was the warmth of Neytiri that made Jake bury his face into the side of her neck, hiding himself from the world as he kissed a trail of loving kisses until he could reach to her own ear.

Expecting a dirty thought or two, Neytiri leaned in as she stroked his back, hoping to earn some points with her mate before they would retreated into the forest.

However, instead of hearing a hint of the passion that would come later tonight, Neytiri bit her lip as the words of her mate grew serious with a sincere tone.

"Forgive…me…" He softly said with his voice threatening to break again.

She pulled back to look him in the eyes, studying his expression that withered with the great weight of his past as well as the responsibility of his future. At the same time, Neytiri was baffled by his words, words that she had to repeat herself in her native tongue to understand the meaning behind them.

"Jahake, why do you say this?" She asked of him as she held up his face.

"Was it because of your brother? Our People are not frightened by you-, "her words were hushed by the plea of his own. "No." He silently answered in the retreat of his tone.

He met her eyes, not wishing to do her further harm as Jake fought his way past the emotions.

"I've brought the war to us."

She shook her head, not believing it, "no you did not Jahake." He resisted and nodded in his argument. "I did. No matter how you look at it Neytiri. I've brought suffering. Why do you accept me for bringing that to your People?"

"Our People, Jahake. Our. People." She reminded him as she carefully shook his head in her hands, hoping that he would snap out of it as she shook her own head in disbelief. "And no, you did not bring sorrow to us, you have given us something more."

Leaning closer, Neytiri reached on tipped-toes for his brow and gently kissed it, leaving only a gentle stroke of her hand that combed through his mohawk hair. "Life," she said, finishing her thought.

"Life?" Jake questioned it, not so for her to answer as much as it was for him to think about.

"Yes, ma Jahake. Life." She answered anyways, smiling in the light of the tree as she reached with a hand to again brush through his hair. "We live in peace now. You and I. Peace."

Jake started closing his eyes, allowing only the sounds of the na'vi world to slowly push out the doubts from his mind. "Peace, life…" he began saying—

—"Love," Neytiri said warmly, finishing his thought for him while Jake kissed her softly on the lips, taking in the subtle taste of her flesh.

Those feelings of self-doubt, anger, and the frustration in the days that followed all faded away.

They would however return to haunt him.

* * *

 **Six Months Before Contact [Sol Date: August 28th, 2159]**

* * *

"These sat images are inconclusive."

"Yeah, no shit." Catherine argued, throwing her hand against the colored columns of images on the holographic display table.

Max folded his arms together, not believing an ounce into this story. "So what if they're inconclusive? We know what we're looking at."

Matthews darted a look directly at Max's eyes, finding that even this scientist didn't believe in the images they were seeing. Who knows how many really didn't believe if they saw the same images as they did now.

"Look, I'm telling you that we don't know if what we're looking at is…" could he honestly believe what they were all thinking? He would've liked to jump on the band wagon but he had to be the voice of reason in the conversation.

Catherine didn't care though, seemingly buying into the fact that these islands were interesting none the less.

"You can't tell me that whatever the RDA found, they were trying to hide it. To dismiss even for the fact that they covered up the deaths of these men. Just look at the image, Matt." She waved her hand, dragging the images that flickered to life and drawing out what appeared to be an atoll island.

"This right here." She pointed, waiting for Matthews to make the connection with what she was seeing.

"What?" He shot back, not seeing the faint white pixel on an island that was five miles wide and snaked around a crater in the ocean.

She feigned disbelief of his answer before shaking her head, "That!" She shouted, throwing both hands into the image so that she could zoom in.

The image they saw only grew more pixelated but now it was clear that a white dot was in the center of their vision.

"Classic RDA habitat module."

Max agreed, "The RDA was clearly trying to do something over there, thousands of miles that way," he added and pointed to the direction of the island.

Taking in a deep breath, Matthews slapped himself with a tablet before sliding it away from his face.

"Okay, so let's for the moment pretend they have a habitat module."

"Looks like it to me," Catherine retorted easily, egging Matthews to try and give her a scowl.

"Okay! So let's for a moment think there is a habitat module. What does that mean?"

Max stepped in, "Proof."

Matthews twitched his head in confusion, "Proof of what, Max?"

"They've been trying to find a way to control this moon." Jansen interjected, walking into the meeting unannounced.

"Huh?"

Catherine nodded to Jansen's statement, even if it was rude of her to come in without knocking.

"RDA's special science division which was what the Avatar Program was before it became the Avatar Program." Jansen a beeline around the group before settling in between Max and Matthews. She removed a chip-like device from her pocket protector and threw it onto the table.

Immediately, the holographic display glitched and deformed itself before rematerializing the colors and structures again. This time, the images that were displayed was that of the Tree of Souls.

"They were trying to find a way to control this moon as soon as they discovered the network within Pandora."

Catherine agreed, remembering how Dr. Augustine would lecture on and on during their sessions that Pandora was an interconnected world.

"During the colonization process, they've sent recon units to scout potential – 'ports' – if you will to hijack and then subdue the na'vi to their will."

Max swirled his hand in the argument of how the RDA could have known how the network even worked the way as Jansen described it. "How is that even possible? The RDA—"

"The RDA may be a brute but they're not stupid. Before Quaritch decided to go Rambo on the na'vi, the RDA needed a way to pacify the na'vi. They learned this from Dr. Zarek, the then leading neural scientist stationed here on Pandora."

"Right, he was the first scientist here." Catherine added.

"He proposed that Pandora has a neural connection with trees. The RDA immediately grew interested. They invested an operation to scout out these proposed outlets like the Tree of Souls you see here."

"And?" Matthews pushed, waiting for her to get to the point.

"They were not sure what they were looking for exactly. Each flora they collected did not fulfil their answer, until Dr. Augustine came along and pointed out that only specific trees have these connections. Yet by that time, the operation was already over and they already lost a team of ten people to the operation. It was cancelled before the RDA could even PR the disaster."

"Hell of a story, Sarah." Matthews sarcastically argued before turning his head to the tablet in front of him.

"You don't believe me?"

He blinked by the insult that she didn't believe that he believe. "No-no, I believe. What I find hard to believe is that the RDA could mount such a massive undertaking without at least keeping some records. All we've found are just botanist data."

"Exactly!" She cried out, giving a very obvious 'duh' look on her face.

"It's all there. Right there. They've been looking for a very specific tree."

Catherine was getting a little confused here, "they already know about the tree of souls."

"No. Not that tree."

"Then what, Sarah?" Max excused himself back into the conversation.

"This tree." She tapped her fingers on the surface of the table, bringing about an audio of na'vi singing.

The song that the na'vi were singing garnered little understanding as no one except Sarah understood the language.

"Uhm, Sarah?" Matthews prodded at her argument, clearly annoyed that she was bringing up a bunch of singing natives.

She tapped her fingers again and a rough crude English translation was dubbed over, giving context to the song.

The na'vi were singing about a tree that brought their people together after a great sorrow had nearly destroyed them.

"The genesis tree?" Catherine said, putting the pieces together as she curiously looked across to Sarah.

"They're definitely singing about the star tree."

Matthews looked even more confused now that they were injecting weird stuff.

"Can someone explain to me—"

Sarah boldly added more information concerning the star tree.

"From years of research, the na'vi across a multitude of tribes sing about the one singular tree that brought the na'vi from a millennia of tribal wars. This tree is the very reason why the na'vi are, for a lack for a better word, pacifist."

Matthews had a good laugh at her expense but Sarah wasn't joking, nor was she even allowing him to see her smile. Seeing her almost scowl at him caused Matt to quietly silence himself.

"The star tree," Sarah started up again as she panned around to each face," could be the key to everything."

"Like what?" Max asked.

"Saving Earth."


	6. As If You Said Nothing

**As If You Said Nothing**

* * *

A super predator is the apex king of the animal kingdom, wielding both death and dominance. Both worked as equal parts, neither was lesser than the other. When a super predator is introduced into a new environment, it can either adapt itself to continue being the super predator or relinquishes over to the basic natural facts: that sooner or later, you find yourself becoming the prey.

* * *

 **Six Months Before Contact [Sol Date: August 30th, 2159]**

* * *

Silently guiding his hand across the broad spectrum of light, the curious na'vi named Ta'zi watched with such intensity that the other drivers held their breaths with collective awe, afraid that a single exhalation of their captured air would startle the na'vi from his thoughts. Hardly unusual for any of them to watch from calculated distances, their minds raced with fascination of the warrior while their bodies remain about as motionless as the air that filled their lungs.

Not long after arriving, Ta'zi molded right into what Sarah called the 'tough guy' act. An act she had seen more times in humans but never once with a na'vi. She noted each careful action and reaction that Ta'zi committed himself to. First, he rarely talked. His only interaction with her was their greeting. Soon after that, he disappeared right along with Norm into the longhouse. Secondly, he kept to himself. Not that it wasn't unusual to see a na'vi isolate themselves from strangers in a strange land but it was peculiar in that he would intentional steer himself away from other drivers. And finally, Sarah could see the most obvious expression on any male that she had ever seen. To keep up his appearance as the superior species amongst demons, Ta'zi relied on the age-old stoic look. A look that even acid could not erode away at.

It was about the third day in the evening when Sarah, pillaging her thoughts just outside the longhouse with impatience etched into her expression had finally decided enough was enough. He was here to learn from humans, not lock himself away from them. Tightening her hands into a ball, the driver approached the steps with cautious ease. With the first step, she quickly sucked in the air between her teeth and blew it out just as instantaneously before reaching to take hold of the door handle by the last step. Pulling it back, the light from the longhouse washed her figure, revealing nothing more than a pair of shorts and a tank top. Her eyes briefly scanned the room as she noticed the drivers that gathered around like a bunch of monkeys waiting for the next banana to drop from a tree.

Norm was holding a session for the drivers, some of whom had never made direct contact with a na'vi before, no less witness one admiring the rather archaic technology of artificial light.

The contact between drivers and na'vi was always an unsteady one. Mainly because even after six years and a consistent peaceful truce, the na'vi were still very cautious in allowing further contact. Not that any tribe forbade contact but rather on their own free will simply refused to.

"Ta'zi," Norm spoke, hoping to earn the attention of the warrior who blinked out of his trance of the light. He then looked down and across to Norm who was situated just next to the warrior.

Speaking in the native tongue that Ta'zi was born into, Norm exchange his thoughts with the Omaticayan. "I would like to show our drivers the proper way to greet your People. May I?"

The length of politeness that Norm went through did nothing for Ta'zi. He might as well have scribbled it all out in wood if Ta'zi was going to allow himself to care what a human was asking for. Yet, Ta'zi was not going to prepare himself to be rude either. Instead, the warrior simply gave a subtle nod to Norm.

Pushing the rat that chased her thoughts in her skull away, Sarah motivated herself to walk towards the crowd as she eased herself right behind one of her colleagues. She kept herself just a foot away, not wanting to disturb the air of silence as Norm demonstrated the way that the na'vi greeted one another.

Beginning with a hand, Norm brought it up to his forehead with an index finger lightly giving a teasing touch the cyan skin. There, three fingers cascaded right along with the index finger down the bridge of his nose until he passed his bottom lip and gave a wave from his chin.

Ta'zi remained motionless as the interaction began. The greeting was different between each family. Couples developed their own little fair, unique between them, while entire families had crafted a way to give their own special way of greeting that would only be recognizable to them. As for the clan, well Norm demonstrated that perfectly – Ta'zi guessed.

In return, Ta'zi performed a mutual greeting with Norm before looking to the side to see the demons watching intently. It was gross. Most of them seemed only to care for how the act was done and not so much what the purpose was.

The more he looked at them, the more it became apparent. Their faces… familiar in shape only reminded Ta'zi of the battle that he fought to protect his family from these savages.

No one knew that Ta'zi was only pulling a front. He never gave himself away to any of them. It was important to close any loops, tie off any loose ends and hide away the edges that made you. The enemy could use any of it against you. Despite being amongst allies, Ta'zi was regarding them as enemies of his People.

He fought them. All of them.

War was new to the young warrior when he was asked by Jhake to fight against the Sky People. He was inexperienced, ill-equipped, and most of all – eager to return the favor to the very humans who killed his mother.

He had no bow to claim his own, having only recently passed his rite of passage just a moon ago before the savages in metal armor plating destroyed Kelutral. After the great fall, he had no weapons aside from a knife that he used to kill wild yarik. It was obsidian in nature, dark, glassy and smooth to the touch. Yet the edge was leaf-thin. Just a touch, not even pressing touch, could easily tear into the skin.

When the war was finally called for, he went with a bow that his father had given him.

He could still remember the bitter smell of sulfur from the weapons the Sky People use. It was coarse, smelling much like a fire but with the smoke from a camp fire that filled your nostrils and never leaving it. Blood was also in the air, a thin fine mist that caked the skin and mixed in with the spoiled humidity. Bodies laid in ruins across the earthen ground, leaving nothing unmolested and soiling the ground of which ancestors of his kind once roamed through.

The sounds of it was on the level of a nightmare that Ta'zi could have never imagined in a thousand lifetimes. The cries of wounded na'vi filled his ears, disturbing him greatly to the point that he had to leave them in order to focus his attention on the external threat. Those sounds never left him that day.

War became him as much as he became the war that he fought.

He would never forget what he did to the first human he encountered in the forest battle.

For so long, he grew up a happy child, enduring much of the trials of the rite of passage and becoming part of a loving family who he only returned the love to. That was until the day the Sky People destroyed his home and killed the very soul that he loved.

Now he would be innocent no longer. The human warrior was captured by his fellow clan mates, alone and frightened. Ta'zi could tell that he was scared for his life, having wet himself and looking wounded already. But it was not enough. Not enough for Ta'zi that he told the two warriors to leave as he dispensed his form of justice.

Taking the human alone by the hair, he dragged the demon until he came upon a small pond. Roots bobbed up and down in the earth, bushes and plants gathered around to witness the first death and the final revenge for his mother. Before even Eywa herself.

Removing the obsidian blade, Ta'zi looked carefully to the deteriorated face of fear within the human as he brought the blade closer to his face. So scared was he that the human pleaded in a language he did not understand. With a couple of fingers, the warrior lifted the human's chin and brought the blade across his throat. It was too easy. His skin gave way to the blade with warm crimson blood spurting heavily out onto both of them as well as to the earth below them. The human gripped his own throat and collapsed back into the watery grave that only swallowed him partially. Leaving the body, Ta'zi never erased the blood of that blade; nor did he of the look of the human's face.

To this day, that blood was dry on the blade, only having been serviced in the Great Sorrow. To this day, that very weapon now was across his chest, its sheath staring indecisively to the unknowing demons before him.

Looking away, Norm studied the faces of his colleagues before asking who wanted to try it out.

Ta'zi stood by, his ears turning like miniature radar dishes to hone in on the sounds of the alien language. Jhake's closest friend spoke several words but none of them registered with the warrior. Rather than try to guess what he was saying, Ta'zi looked about to the sea of alien faces. There was one however that caught his attention the most. A female. It was the female with the tongue-hurting name.

She didn't appear to be part of this gathering crowd of imbeciles, her expression was wrought with seriousness just like her posture. If anything, Ta'zi could have easily guessed that she was more of the alpha of this group than Norm was.

Finally, Norm brought his attention and the native tongue Ta'zi was most familiar with; albeit with a slightly off tune accent that made Ta'zi wince the moment he opened his mouth to speak.

"I would like my students to practice their greeting, is that okay with you?" Norm asked in na'vi, the ancient language that was required for all drivers to learn.

Ta'zi only looked to Norm with a mildly innocent look and then he nodded. A hesitant nod that no one managed to catch beneath the warrior eyes that gleaned across the faces again of Norm's 'students'.

One by one, each tried it out and each only seemed more nervous than the one before them. Ta'zi was only growing more impatient while his fascination for the female only grew within. After each greeting, Ta'zi would steal himself inquisitive looks towards Sarah. He would notice little odd things about her body language, such as how her finger tapped frustratingly against her bicep. Her tail also waved with an attitude much like her face. He also noticed her arms were crossed against her chest so tightly in fact that Ta'zi swore she was intentionally doing it to squeeze the life out of her own chest.

When everyone went through the motions of the normal act of greeting, it was time for the female.

He waited.

Then Norm interjected Ta'zi's thoughts by saying that was it for today. His 'students' would be returning to their previous duties and Norm would leave Ta'zi alone.

Tail swaying out of annoyance, Ta'zi called out Norm by name. The scientist only reacted by taking a step closer to the warrior and asking what he needed.

Ta'zi could still see that the female was not going anywhere and that alone warranted a question.

"What does she want?" Ta'zi asked of the driver as he pointed to Sarah publically, leaving Sarah to make her move on the warrior.

"To ask you a question," Sarah answered in his language, her brows furrowing together ever so slightly, almost to the point where they could teeter easily to the frustration that was rising to the surface.

Ta'zi squarely looked across to the woman who now vaulted over the typical greeting that Norm the driver had with his other 'students'. She was quite bold in skipping over the na'vi tradition of greeting. Maybe she was trying to initiate a fight?

Norm however only looked on with both insecurity of what was going on with Sarah and his curiosity with what she wanted to ask.

"Why do you persist in staying here?" She finally asked him, catching Norm off guard as he tried to jump between the two before she could cause an intergalactic incident right here in this longhouse.

Alas, Norm could not stop the freight train that was Sarah's overzealous demands for an answer from the Omaticayan warrior.

"You do not take the initiative to meet us, to ask us questions or to even join us when we all patiently wait for you to come out of your hiding hole."

Ta'zi could see that the female was angry with him but that did not mean she could be rude with him. Pushing aside an arm, he was prepared to motion for her to stop talking so he could tell her his answers.

Instead, the warrior got another earful from the woman.

"Are you here to learn about us or are you here to take up our space?"

"Sarah!" Norm reprimanded with a slack jaw look that nearly fell to the floor. He was absolutely stunned she would say such things to their guest. He was just about to take her outside when Ta'zi stopped all their internal debates.

"The only space I am taking up is the space that does not belong to you." Ta'zi countered that reflected with the way he held himself in place, obviously he felt he won this argument.

Sarah gave a sarcastic look around before channeling her focus on the warrior. He may be na'vi, but he sure wasn't acting like one.

"All I see before me is a child pretending to be an adult, telling others that what he inhabits is nothing more than empty surroundings. Yet each day he sleeps, sits, and whines comfortably within the confines of a shelter built by demons."

Norm already lost it, Sarah was beyond rude, she was about to start a conflict right here with a friend. He took one step in front of her before he felt another hand pushing him gently aside. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Ta'zi took his own step towards Sarah at which point he could've sworn Ta'zi was about to conduct himself unruly towards Jansen.

Looking her up and down, Ta'zi crossed his own arms, mirroring her as he leaned in close and showed his teeth – as though his pearly whites would frightened her. She only smirked and looked right back up at him.

"Are you going to answer my questions like a man or do I have to seek my answers elsewhere amongst your People?"

Ta'zi's jaw twitched with strain, his tongue silent as his mind raced through a variety of curses and words that would only make him look like the victim. He would not play the victim and for it, he answered her questions.

"I am here because I do not like any of your kind." He answered, not explaining any further.

Sarah's smirk however softened to a smile upon hearing his sincerity. They were finally making true progress.

"That, Ta'zi, is where we can start."

* * *

 **The Day Before [Sol Date: August 29th, 2159]**

* * *

The day was drawing to an end and Theo barely had the time to scrounge up enough courage to make use of his time in interacting with any of the People of the clan. The only one he was spending most of his time with was unfortunately with the elders of the clan. They were comprised of the most senior (not by age but rather experience) clan members. They were hunters, warriors, gatherers, spiritualists, and weavers. Theo had to undergo a series of questions to determine if the driver was at all trustworthy to be among the People. After his little stint with the Tipani, it made sense that they would basically interview him for his newfound job.

Jake tried to explain it. Even though visitors were not subjected to the evaluation, those who planned on living among the clan for longer than week however were.

"Ah so how was it?" Jake asked of Theo who was running his hands together nervously.

"I thought you were joking about that part being er uh-nude," the driver noted with a hint of laughter tickling his throat. Theo of course did not find it funny in the least.

Jake smiled through it and patted Theo on the shoulder, reassuring him that would be the last time something as personal and intrusive would happen to him. "I don't joke and neither do they. But don't get us wrong, Theo. They were only making sure you don't try to harm us. If anything, they were also checking to make sure you were healthy."

"Healthy?" Theo repeated, his brow quirking with confusion.

Jake nodded, "making sure you weren't bringing pestilence within the clan. So far from what I've heard, you are as healthy as horse."

Theo could only mouth the word 'healthy' again as he looked out to the sky while the questions rattled inside his brain again-and-again.

What the elders asked, Theo was prepared for. What he was not prepared for was being asked to strip naked.

The elders were all sorts of old. Some varying in age that he could only guess at, though what he did not expect was being asked to splay out his arms the moment he arrived in the private quarters of the elders. The quarters existed between two close trees. The na'vi built a platform between the trees and from there constructed a shelter of sorts, made possible from animal skin and large palm-like leaves. There was also a hint of gunk he had never seen before. It looks a bit gray but he didn't want to touch or even bring his attention to it out of fear of the elders adding more questions to their report.

"Come, arms outwards like this." One of the elders said as he displayed how the arms should be at, leaving Theo who did as he was told.

Soon the elders requested two male na'vi to enter. They didn't appear to be warriors, at least from what Theo could tell. They held themselves differently, didn't carry weapons on their persons nor did they look all that threatening if Theo could say such a thing.

"Stand still," another added in to the pile of instructions.

Theo blinked with some mild manner of confusion as he watched the males approach him. They looked young, clearly not part of the elder circle. Soon their hands were on him, searching and padding him down as Theo instinctively reacted to their touch.

He almost wanted to ask what was going on but the elders eyes were squarely trained on him as the males gripped his shirt and removed it. The cold air licked against his chest in a way that Theo could only describe as 'painful'.

"Remove this," one of the males asked, pointing to his pants.

Again, Theo blinked and this time he could not help but ask. "W-Why?"

"Do not question us," the elders responded immediately.

Doing as he was told, Theo slowly with hesitation drawn on his face gripped the zipper and began pulling it down.

Man I hope I didn't stumble upon some procreation ritual, Theo could only think as the pants came falling down around his ankles.

The na'vi grabbed his pants and took it with them in their arms.

"Now, remove the cloth that covers your loins," another elder requested.

What the hell is going on here?

"May I ask w-"

"No," an elder stated coldly as he motioned for Theo to remove his boxers.

Even being in his avatar, Theo was not keen on showing his junk to everyone in the room. Not that his junk was completely visible. It was interesting when Theo first learned of the na'vi anatomy. The organs were different, as obvious as a statement could be made on those early days of learning about their anatomy. The lungs were interesting, while to any uneducated individual could say the lungs look much like humans, they would be sadly mistaken. Each lung had four sections. Each section held multiple air sacs, each air sac had thousands of micro-air sacs. When a na'vi needed to hold his breath for longer, all four sections would be used, granting them almost thirty minutes of air to carry with them. When they weren't using the full capacity, they would use two sections.

Stomach acted pretty much the same, however it looked very different from what you would expect. Secretions from microscopic holes would fill the pocket of the stomach, enough to the point where along with the contractions, broke down even un-chewed food. The idea was that in the event that the na'vi could not simply sit and eat comfortably, they could shove entire pieces of meat and swallow them and make a run for the trees to avoid predators. That was only the surface of their digestive system.

It was well known that the na'vi digestive system was far more complex than the human one. To such a point that some regard it as the most complex digestive system of any known species that humans have recorded.

The sex organs of both sexes were, on the outside, the same. Theo was a little surprise but he figured by evolution standards, made some sense. The penis was sheathed within the pelvis region, much like the vagina. It only came out when aroused or when the need arises for urination. The penis itself was a little, as Theo put it, 'weird'. When he first heard of its functionality, he felt somewhat uncomfortable by it. After all, the drivers would be similarly equipped. Switching gears, now was not the time to repeat alien sex education just yet.

Just from the looks the elders that they were giving him, if he didn't do as they say, then he would probably be kicked out from the Omaticaya.

Swallowing that hard lump in his throat, Theo dug a finger on either side of the seam and quickly threw the boxers to his ankles.

Though human instincts of covering oneself was immediate as Theo covered his genitals with both hands. The elders were not having none of that.

"Why are you ashamed of your body?" They asked and Theo could only look back with wild frightened eyes.

"I-I'm not," Theo insisted.

A few shook their heads.

"You cover yourself as though you hate yourself."

Shutting his eyes as tightly as he could until a nagging pain inflicted him, Theo slowly removed both hands and placed them at his sides. There, the elders studied his physique with great interest.

"Your body is the same as our own, why?'

Oh c'mon!

Opening his eyes, Theo could see their own gazes wandering about with enthusiastic curiosity, almost to the point that he could feel their gazes tracing around his body.

"We have to be as close as possible to yours."

"Why?"

Seriously?!

Theo swallowed another hard lump, "it is the only way we could do it without making ourselves look anymore alien."

The driver began counting in his head, hoping that it would help ease the pain of embarrassment. He tried looking for his pants and only came upon the sight of the male who held onto it, was looking right back at him! His heart skipped and Theo retracted his attention right back on the elders who were looking right back him. He couldn't win.

His heart skipped another beat and the dots of his face flared into glowing little suns.

"Did they do the same to you, Jake?" Theo asked inquisitively of the leader.

The smirk on his face told Theo everything he needed to know.

"Uh, no."

"Norm?"

"Surprisingly, no. Something about being more trusted." Jake added, his fingers twirling in the air along the lines of 'more trusted'.

"I'm the first?" Theo responded, his mouth fiddling against the crown of his teeth.

"Yes sir."

Theo could only mouth 'wow' in return as his mind flared annoyingly at the prospect of being the first human to get inspected by the na'vi.

Like some sort of bad science experiment gone wrong, Theo remained composed before the elders. That was when they decided to check everything.

By everything, Theo couldn't expect what would follow next. Maybe he did and he just refused to acknowledge it.

Out of the blue – without the pun – one of the elders stood up and approached the driver.

All Theo could do was try not to look her in the eye. That failed almost immediately when she stood right in front of his face.

"Can your kind have children?" She asked, her gaze trained on Theo's.

"Y-yes."

"In this body?" She didn't have to point, all she needed to do was look down below the invisible belt.

Theo quirked his gaze a bit until he found his way back to the elder's face.

"I-I'm not sure?"

Truth was, no one knew for certain. Their reproductive organs worked fine. No one dared to test the theory of having a kid. It was taboo, if not just downright inappropriate; both ethically and morally.

The older woman tilted her head, her gaze turned more intrusive as her brows furrowed together, the look she gave Theo only made him blush more until she opened her mouth to ask him to do one thing.

"Reveal yourself."

Theo tilted his head and mouthed 'what' in English.

She did not understand the word but pointed down stairs.

"Reveal your manhood, Thaeohgarlend."

It was at this point, he could no longer subject himself to such intrusive questions.

"No!" He rebutted in their language again. Instantly, he could see it in their faces of how he basically rebuked their authority.

There was no point in this. He was done. He didn't care if they kicked him out now. Pushing pass the elder, he reached for his pants that the male na'vi had and ripped it from his hands. He pulled up his boxers and slipped each leg into the pants as the elders stood by watching.

He didn't give a damn.

"I'm done. I won't do this."

Off to the distance and out from Theo's peripheral view was Mo'at. The woman stood by, watching curiously as the elders indulge themselves in questioning their guest. Her thoughts were exactly aligned with what the questions the elders were asking. The first time she met Jhake, she was slightly withdrawn from the prospect of seeing another like Theo's kind here amongst the People again.

Even if Jhake was, how she would put it, a confused child, Mo'at believed that perhaps with him they could change the course between their two peoples. Looking on, Mo'at could see that Theo would not give in. He refuse to push pass the fact that her People were not like his own. If he could not accept that, then he could not accept the Omaticaya.

Moving pass the shadows, Mo'at approached the driver as he was zipping up his pants. Theo didn't see her coming when he finally manage to turn about to begin his leave when he nearly bumped into the spiritual leader herself.

"You find shame with your own body?" She asked of him, his eyes darting away as he tried to move past her. She only stood in his way.

"I am not ashamed of anything," Theo replied, his head down and ears pulled away. "I will not put myself through this, being tested in the most embarrassing and harassing way."

"Do you think we are like your kind? Do you think we care?" She continued, her expression hardening as she guided her hand below his chin, lifting it only so slightly towards her direction. Even at her height, she could see that Theo needed the right understanding.

"These elders no nothing of your kind. Only hatred. You are here to educate, not divide. Jhake can only provide so much as can his friends. You are the first that he does not know. You are untainted by any influence that he has over you."

What the hell did that mean?

Theo tried to look at her but he couldn't. He could not afford to continue fooling with the perception that the na'vi, the Omaticaya would try to do this. What was the point?

"Then why do they need to see my… manhood?" He asked, the very word fleeting with embarrassment.

"To see the truth that your body is what you say it is."

"With that?" He asked almost childishly. He had no clue how else he could phrase it.

"They believe that your body is not real. If you continue to make them believe that, then how else can they accept you for what and who you are?"

Theo's eyes looked about, searching for some semblance of truth in Mo'at's words. It was highly unusual and something he had never heard of once before being done by any tribe.

Taking a deep breath, Theo finally found his way to look to her gaze. Funny how this was actually his first meeting with her. He had only known about her through text and images done by Dr. Augustine.

Clawing his face with one hand, Theo shrugged and walked back. The elders was surprisingly waiting for his eventual return and were even more patient as he removed the pants and boxers.

Mo'at stood by, watching carefully of the exchange that was done between the parties before disappearing back to where she had originally stood.

"Hey, look on the bright side. All they were doing was just making sure you didn't have STD's." Jake stated it astutely.

"Yeah, funny way of doing it." Theo sarcastically remarked.

It wasn't unusual as Theo originally thought. The fact was, tribes did this more commonly than it was known about. Diseases were still part of everyday life for the na'vi, this included sexually transmitted ones as well. If an avatar driver came within the clan who was diseased (not that any driver was diseased), the possibility of spreading it was a problem, both politically and physically.

Theo couldn't think of how the clan would react if he somehow, to their thinking, would spread it but he believed they would not only point blame on him but the entire RDA organization. It would shut out all potential drivers from even communicating with the na'vi and Jake would be forced by their hand to render interaction with the na'vi all but impossible.

How they went about 'testing' that with Theo was completely visual. The female elder stood by as Theo wished away all the painful thoughts of having to 'arouse' himself out of its sheath. Let's just say he had to take a mental image of one of those young female na'vi and think about it from there.

The inspection was quick without any touching (thankfully) and as soon as it was done, they even gave him his pants back.

They allowed Theo to get dressed again, which allowed for the elders to discuss for their next question.

The final question came from the oldest elder. A male who didn't share his name with the driver.

"With truth, Thaeohgarlend," he began to say. The word 'true' or 'truth' was very new to the na'vi. Before the arrival of the Sky People, there was no such thing as the word 'truth' or 'lies' in their vocabulary. After wards, they had to develop it.

"Are you here to cause, plan, or manipulate the clan towards a path of destruction or death?"

Theo blinked. He looked about to each of their faces as he pondered on the question.

As far as he know, that was a no.

"No." Theo stated as accurately and sincerely as he could without a second to waste.

Again, they talked. Their lips motivated with desire to keep questioning him as they second guessed their own inquisition. The longer they talked, the greater the need that Theo needed his clothes back.

Feeling a little left out of the loop, Theo remained still, his feet aching from standing on layered wood and grass. A flickering moment reprised itself across Theo's twitching gaze as he was reminded of how the elders requested that he remove his boots. A possible hint of things to come, as though it was not so obvious now.

With the lingering thoughts running around in his mind, Theo wondered if Jake had discussed with the elders about the joint operations of searching out these signals that Catherine divulged with him privately. Looking about each of their faces again, he could not find a trace of suspicion concerning Theo's presence which allowed the driver to relax a little – if only for a little when his voice was called out.

"Thaeohgarlend," was how the na'vi butchered his name with their accent. Not that he had nothing against them butchering it. It was already butchered by accident on his own part, now tainted with disgrace and mistrust amongst the Tipani.

Looking out across with an attentive composure, he nodded.

"We of the elders of the Blue Flute clan, agree that you can stay amongst our People."

-A month tops, Theo reminded them internally while a smile did the rest of the work of thanking them.

"Irayo, it is a great pleasure to be amongst your People. I wish to-"

A hand rose that immediately shot down Theo's extended thanks. "This does not mean you are free to move about as you please, Thaeohgarlend."

A brow rose over his right eye as his tail betrayed his thinking by giving a stuttering kick in the air, "but-of course."

"Jhakesully is busy with clan work and he will not always be there to watch you."

Theo didn't expect he would, though he figured he would be working closely with Jake in coordinating their soon-to-be operation to the atolls.

An elder whose fixated gaze slowly faded away to look over her shoulder, prompted a gesture of her hand to allow a figure who had been hidden within the clutches of the shadows to move between the elders and Theo.

The driver had no clue how long this person had been there, hidden, camouflaged but perfectly eavesdropping on the entire event – including his undressing and his questioning of where he stood with the na'vi. The darkness of the shadows peeled away to reveal the form of a feminine structure. She was built not like any other females he had seen so far, but rather- wait…

"Ki'ol?" Theo addressed the female. Her eyes pierced through him with neutral intent as she nodded.

The elders exchanged separate looks as they were impressed that the human managed to remember a face that was of a na'vi. Then again, perhaps it was due to her being of a woman?

"Ki'ol is a growing pupil of a warrior, she's the first to be trained by Jhakesully himself."

Her form did not betray that idea either. Unlike their previous encounter, she appeared to be adorned with several additional weapons in addition to the ones he remembered seeing previously. Bladed weaponry were strategically placed about her form, two on either side of her chest, one hidden from Theo's view was across her lower back. Another near her ankle. What he did not catch was just how dangerous she really was.

When the war begin, she was all but a child in the eyes of the People. After the war and through her rite of passage, she trained to fight like a human. She had no human weapons of her own, choosing instead to rely on weapons the na'vi continued to use, such as the bow which Theo clearly could see was strapped to her frame.

The arrows however were again out from his view.

"Kaltxi," Theo greeted while the flair of embarrassment was catching him on fire. She was a well-endowed female, not human like at all but very exotic in the nature he came to expect with the na'vi. So looking at her, his own natural-given instincts were kicking into high gear.

He half expected that many of the na'vi in the room could smell the pheromones right off of him if they tried.

Returning her own greeting was more natural, opting for the silent approach with her hand.

"She will be both your guardian and our protection from you," they continued. "We expect it would not come to that but trust from your kind is difficult."

Difficult was just the right word that Theo was experiencing. If he didn't have his pants on after being 'inspected', who knows what would be going on right now.

Like, being in hell for instance.

"From here, you may return with Jhakesully. This meeting has been concluded." Rising to their own feet and one-by-one, the elders dispersed to their own private ordeals and work, leaving Theo and Ki'ol by themselves.

"It is an honor to-"

Ki'ol quickly approached the driver and covered his mouth with her hand. She looked deeply at him as she hushed him.

"Stop. Talking." The native bitterly advised him, her fingers made sure that the human did not make any more missteps with his putrid voice by pressing down hard on his mouth. Theo had to hold himself from falling over from such force that she was placing over his mouth while at the same time was completely baffled by what was going on.

Waiting until she felt that he could no longer talk but listen, she retreated the hand slowly from his lips and carefully studied his face. Satisfied that he wouldn't talk, Ki'ol cracked the stiff neck that was bothering her all day long.

She placed both hands over her hips as she quietly paced around the room. Her tail twitched with thoughts that could never be made openly with Theo, thinking and murmuring incoherent words that Theo could only make out as fragments. Finally, the dead air that she created between them soon evaporated with her pace ending up with Ki'ol standing in front of the driver.

This dreamwalker.

Licking her parched sun-dry lips, she nodded to him, an unspoken motion for him to speak now.

Catching that expression, Theo nodded in return and opined what was going on or if he had offended her in some way, he would gladly repay it with apologizes.

"Did I do something wrong?"

She closed her eyes, leaving them shut for several seconds before opening them. It was the Omaticaya's way of saying 'no' nonverbally.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

Again, she closed her eyes.

"Then, may I ask why you wanted me to be quiet?"

Tilting her head sideways, Ki'ol thoughtfully nodded, "to teach you to silence yourself every once in a while."

That was all? Theo let out a soft exhalation of relief as he hunched back and gave out a small fleeting chuckle.

Ki'ol didn't like that disrespect of hearing his laughter and quickly reprimanded him with a hiss.

Ears pinning backwards, Theo promptly stood taller and kept both hands tied behind his back. He looked like a school boy who just got scolded and lectured by a teacher. If any other driver saw this, they probably would be laughing by this point with Theo taking this far too seriously.

Then again, maybe being serious with the na'vi was exactly what they wanted from the drivers.

"My apology, Ki'ol."

Her tail flicked against his words, "do not apologize for something you did not know about."

If he was going to stay among her People, he could start by realizing that this was not the Tipani tribe. Too obvious was it that Theo had little experience among others of the na'vi, the way he just handles himself spells out ignorance and naivety. He had a lot to learn ahead of himself if he was going to make it through his tenure here.

Turning about with her back facing him, she made her way towards the exit. "Apologizing for this, for that, for what you stand for and what you wish for does little to make any sense, Thaeohgarlend." Ki'ol looked about the room one last time before finally deciding to motion Theo with a hand for him to follow her.

Picking up her pace, Theo walked beside the woman as they left the elder quarters and made their way across a bridge. It heaved under their weight but only slightly, making small creaking noises to remind Theo that this was made entirely of wood. The bridge had no guard rail of course, the agility of the na'vi body made it so that you had to pay attention to where you were walking. Clearly, Ki'ol made it appear that she didn't have to put in the effort as her body wisped across the bridge and onto the other platform with ease. Such ease in fact that Theo couldn't hide the smile that gradually appeared with time.

Ki'ol offered a brief tour which acted more as a way for Theo to know his surroundings better. First, she took him to the area where he would spend most of his time sleeping, it was no hammock. No, he didn't quite deserve that precious space yet. Instead, he would be sleeping with the younger crowd on ground level. They made extra padding out of leaves and whatever grass filaments they could find and stuff it beneath a leather-like animal hide. In respect, the younger crowd that he would be sleeping with were actually comprised of warriors who had to stay closer to the earth. In the event of an attack they were quite literally the first on the ground to defend the clan's home.

Speaking of home, Theo was given an opportunity to see the scale of the Omaticaya's home. In scope, it covered a wider range in space than he previously thought. There was even a small lake from which the na'vi would use to fish and gather edible plants from the bottom of the lake. With the night that fell upon the Omaticaya, he could see the flickering lights of life illuminating in a scattered pattern throughout the confines of the clan's home. The inner sanctum which was comprised of several trees in a bunch where bridges were formed and platforms were built was the most lit-up.

Outside, the fires were fewer and usually beneath canopies of other trees to prevent the light from being seen from above; as Jake sees it – to prevent watchful eyes in the sky from seeing where they were.

Walking along the shores of the lake, Theo was brought before Jake who was hanging around the lake. Ki'ol gave her greeting with the Olo'eyktan, which fortunately prompted Theo to do the same.

Smiling in thanks, Jake returned the greeting and thanked Ki'ol.

"I trust all went well?" He asked them both, neither by name which triggered a hilarious answer from both of them simultaneously.

"Yes," they both said, forcing Theo to look over to his side as did Ki'ol who furrowed her brows together with ounces of frustration radiating from her.

Jake almost laughed at such a sight, nodding anyways he concluded unceremoniously of the tour that Ki'ol had started. "Irayo, Ki'ol. That will be all."

The woman bowed her head as she kept her eyes on Jake before turning to leave, she did however paused briefly to flick her gaze over to Theo. The look that she exchanged with him was a mutual understanding that she would most definitely be watching from the shadows. The driver's weary smile gave way and with it did Ki'ol who left to return to whatever she was doing previously before.

Turning his attention back on Jake, he caught the Omaticaya leader chuckling under his breath.

"Yup, she's dangerous," he added with an acknowledgement of Ki'ol as he switched back to English for ease between them.

"No shit, I thought I was going to get castrated by her."

"Well, I haven't taught her that yet," Jake said with a serious tone crawling through his words. Theo gave a wary look to the Olo'eyktan, which only made Jake laugh a little more.

"I'm only joking with ya, Theo. Take it easy man."

"Wha-? Jake, I was practically molested back there with those elders of the clan!"

A smirk etched itself across Jake's face as he looked over to Theo, "ah so how was it?"


End file.
